Survivors
by TechnicolorNoize
Summary: SYOC: Closed. The Washington Lodge on Blackwood Mountains was meant to be the getaway of a lifetime for a group of teenage friends, however when partying and pranks take a deadly turn the getaway turns into a battle for survival until the break of dawn.
1. SYOC Profile Form

The wind howled as the two teens stood side by side, in the distance they could see the outline of the large lodge on the top of the mountain. The red headed girl tightened the grip on the keys in her pocket, her father had rented place. It was suppose to be a gift, a surprise to his daughter and all of her friends. A weekend getaway to a luxurious lodge, just after the new year a chance for a good start. There were rumors of this lodge, of the omens of the mountain. The teens had heard them when they stopped in the local town, they just laughed them off, but this was all before. This was all before the dawn.

* * *

So everyone I have this Until Dawn urge I just can't scratch. I love the original characters to the series but I just want to take the idea of sick pranks and supernatural creatures. Anyways, I need between 8 or 9 characters, ranging in age 16 to 19. (They will be aged up a year after the prologue.) I will not promise that everyone makes it through the prologue, but then again everyone might make it through the night its all up to the butterfly effects. Basic summary to make this quick is, the location is the same. Washington Lodge on Blackwood Mountain. This place is however is now rented out at a lodge for weekend getaways which is what this is.

Anyways, I have a few rules.

Send me the profile in a PM, the reason is that way I can ask you about things I do not quite understand about your character and it keeps the reviews cleaner.

Please fill out the profile form as accurately as you can. I can not work with no details on these characters.

You are encouraged to make suggestions, but know there is a story line that will be followed and not all suggestions will be accommodated.

I will accept or reject characters based on needs of the story. Please keep that in mind.

Profile:

Full Name:

Nickname:

Age:

Gender:

Sexuality:

Appearance: (Hair color, Eye color, complexion, ect.)

Style: (Outfit ideas remember they are on a mountain, in winter.)

Accessories: (Any jewelry, hats, watches, tattoos, piercings, ect.)

Five Descriptors: (Examples: Thoughtful, Adventurous, ect.)

A Few Likes:

A Few Hates:

Theme Song: (Just a song that you thinks relates to the character.)

Family: (Parents? Siblings? Ect.)

Brief History:

Future Ambitions:

Other: (Literally anything else you want me to know)


	2. Character List

Accepted Characters:

Female: 6/?

Male: 5/?

Total: 11/11

Name (Creator) Age at prologue/Age at Chapter 1

Charlotte "Charlie" Young (Technicolor) 17/18

Sebastian "Bash" Young (Technicolor)19/20

Kali Dulal (POMForever) 16/17

Jemmaline "Jemma" Holloway (JemmalineVargas) 16/17

Johnson "Hawk" Hawkley (GraffWood) 19/20

Kol Jackson (SonOfAB33P) 18/19

Charity Warren (AnonChan1) 18/19

Bryan Carmine (GunMaker436) 17/18

Dakota "Kota" Raiman ( .Strange) 18/19

Mona "Moe" Price (tobi- is- an- artist- too) 19/20

Graham Shepard (Flowgalo) 18/19


	3. Prologue Part 1

Accepted Characters:

Female: 6/?

Male: 5/?

Total: 11/11

Name (Creator) Age at prologue/Age at Chapter 1

Charlotte "Charlie" Young (Technicolor) 17/18

Sebastian "Bash" Young (Technicolor)19/20

Kali Dulal (POMForever) 16/17

Jemmaline "Jemma" Holloway (JemmalineVargas) 16/17

Johnson "Hawk" Hawkley (GraffWood) 19/20

Kol Jackson (SonOfAB33P) 18/19

Charity Warren (AnonChan1) 18/19

Bryan Carmine (GunMaker436) 17/18

Dakota "Kota" Raiman ( .Strange) 18/19

Mona "Moe" Price (tobi- is- an- artist- too) 19/20

Graham Shepard (Flowgalo) 18/19

Depending on our starting numbers the characters will be put in a lottery to help determine their fates. Of course, a butterfly flapping it's wings miles away can cause a storm. There is always a choice.

* * *

Author's Notes: The Prologue will be three parts, just because it has to introduce everyone and set the stage for the rest of the story. However from that point on I will only create chapters with parts if the segments get too long to handle. Anyways, I am super excited to work with all of these characters and I truly hope I do them justice. As always feel free to shoot me a message with any concerns or comments about your characters, and thank you all for reading. Sorry this is a bit delayed, I never thought weather would cause me this much of a headache until I experience dealing with minor flooding.

* * *

 **Friday, January 6th 2017**

 **Charlie – Washington Lodge Kitchen**

 **17:34**

Charlie ignored the audible sigh coming out of Kol's lips as she continued to stock the refrigerator with the cooking supplies she had brought for the weekend and her brother's alcohol collection that he insisted was far more important than food for dinners on the nights they were at the winter get-away. Charlotte Young was the youngest child in the Young family, though she often acted far more mature than her elder brother Sebastian. She had been the one to decide to host this weekend in a beautiful forgotten lodge up on Blackwood Mountain, finding the place in a list of property holdings their father planned on obtaining in his latest company merger. The Young's owned beautiful resorts around the world, these places often served as homes for the Young children whose parents were far to busy trying to run a global empire to be actual parents to their children, that job fell upon the nannies and tutors.

As she shut the large door she heard the boy sigh again behind her, knowing he was only trying to get her attention she finally gave in to his antics. Kol Jackson was a friend of her elder brother from the days of little league, like most of the boys who Sebastian still associated with. Kol had his arms crossed squarely over his chest, his lips tight in irritation. His dark almost black hair hanging over his dark eyes as he stared on the red head who in her heeled boots stood only a few inches shorter than him. "May I help you Mister Jackson?" Charlie asked sarcastically as his head cocked to the side, clearly unimpressed with her response to his cries for attention.

"How much longer are you going to be? I mean seriously I got the fire going, the power turned on to the compound, and the boiler going and you are still putting away fucking beer." Kol was whining, like the spoiled child he was, he was the only child of a divorced couple who spent his childhood trying to buy his love. Kol had been a companion on many of the Young children's trips in his childhood, he had often tormented Charlie just as her elder brother did. It was probably their mutual dislike for each other as children that allowed them to form the deep connection in their adolescence.

She walked over to the counter top and looked over the other groceries that didn't need to be kept cold that she intended on putting in a cupboard to get them off of the counter surface. He pushed himself off the counter he was leaning against and slid a hand onto her side, placing his body behind hers, before using the other hand to brush the hair from her neck. "I am just saying, I didn't agree to stay behind and help you set up this place just to do work." Kol was a silver-tongued boy who could make women's knees weak without even trying, which was what had happened when he began to grab the attention of his good friend's younger sister. Everyone knew the rules that Sebastian had concerning his friends and his sister, she was off-limits for them and they were off-limits to her. Yet over the last few weeks Kol had found himself with more text messages to the younger Young than the elder. His lips brushed delicately over the pale skin on her neck, "can you not finish this shit later? Bash will be back soon." He was right, Sebastian was heading back into the local town picking up a few of their friends and some things they had forgotten.

Charlie spun around to face Kol, who did not leave her much room to do so. "You don't think Bash will notice that only have of the things you said we were going to get done actually got done?" Charlie asked with a coy little smile that told Kol he was winning this debate no matter what his answer was.

"I finished my list, which was the important list, and I think I need a reward. " Kol grinned as she shook her head smiling before his hand goes up to her to her chin steadying her face as he pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

 **Hawk – Upper Cable Car Station**

 **17:45**

Hawk had thought he had packed too much when it came to his fully stuffed duffle bag, that was until he agreed to help Sebastian with Charity and Kota's bags. Both of them bringing two suitcases and Charity having a third large cross body bag she insisted on calling her purse compared to Kota's smaller handbag that was actually what Hawk considered purse size. He was always a gentleman and he would have agreed to help carry the luggage anyways just because of how he was raised but the fact his childhood friend and host of this get together, Bash, had requested his help made him less inclined to comment on his girlfriend and her friend's over packing.

"Thanks again man." Bash commented as he pulled one of the bags out of the cable car. Bash's dark hair falling into his eyes as he spun around to pull the last one out of the cable car.

"No problem." Hawk smiled at his childhood friend, they had known each other since Little League, it was actually what united most of the boys in their group with the exception of Bryan who had been brought into the boys group by Charlie bringing him around so they could hang out, however Bryan never seemed to realize the Young daughter's crush on him as he seemed more interested in hanging out with Sebastian and Hawk than he ever seemed with Charlie.

Hawk had plenty of muscles but the largest bag that he was sure belonged to Charity made him second guess his weights at home, perhaps he should have asked for her baggage to bench instead of the weights he used. "What is taking you both so long?" Kota asked as she stood in the door way of the cable car station watching the boys unload and move her items.

"Maybe you shouldn't have packed your entire life Kota." Bash snapped at the girl's impatience as she rolled her eyes and walked back out, joining her best friend Charity at the fenced edge of the mountain, staring off at the beautiful natural beauty of the mountain as Hawk and Bash's toted out the luggage of the girls, Hawk also having his duffle thrown over his shoulder resting across his body. Hawk watched Bash stop to admire the view of his girlfriend Charity in the gorgeous back drop.

"You are in deep shit, man." Hawk laughed as he passed his friend and began to head up the path. Sebastian had a very mixed dating history, but most of them turned out badly. Typically it wasn't his fault, but Hawk knew Bash tended to fall hard and quickly when it came to his girls.

Bash laughed as he realized he was caught staring at the girl. "Hopefully I'll be balls deep." His crude comment made the other boy smirk and shake his head. Knowing if either girl had heard them they would have been slapped. "Charlie managed to find a setting to a fucking romance novel, why not use that?" Bash had started walking towards the lodge, letting the girls follow behind them talking between themselves not even seeming to acknowledge their pack mules. Bash seemed to continue rambling on to Hawk about his plans for this weekend, how this was going to be just like one of those classic teen movies complete with drugs, sex, and alcohol. He had promised his childhood friend a wild ride, though that sounded fun Hawk had agreed to come to just kick back and relax with the boys. The fact the girls were there would always be a plus, but he had to admit that at least Bash's female friends tended to be more dramatic than fun.

* * *

 **Jemma – Path to Cable Car Station**

 **18:15**

Jemma was surprised to see Kali step off the bus at the base of the mountain, Jemma hadn't bothered to ask her friend who all was coming on the trip but the appearance of Kali with her perfectly bronzed skin from the sun and that classic braided rope of hair sent an instant smile to Jemma's lips. It was clear, Jemma had noticed Kali before Kali noticed her as the driver of the bus got out and helped Kali retrieve her duffle bag from underneath.

Kali was beaming as she thanked the driver and began to actually walk towards Jemma, a giant smile across her face as she noticed the girl waiting on her at the base of the path. "Jemma!" Her voice drifted through the cold air, as she rushed towards the other girl, "I didn't know you were coming." She admitted in such a way it made Jemma believed Kali was excited to see her. The girls were friends, but Jemma had never really admitted that they were close.

"Are you surprised? I know Charlie didn't tell me anyone who was coming." Jemma commented as she walked with the shorter girl at her side.

"I just assumed it would all be Bash's friends is all." Kali admitted a slightly apologetic tone in her voice reminding Jemma that she probably needed to be a tad less sarcastic with Kali.

Jemma bit her lip slightly as the two walked for a minute in awkward silence, "Christ, it's cold." She looked to the other girl who looked like she had also slightly underestimated the chill of the mountain air as well.

Kali giggled, "well I did suggest the beach instead of Canada but you know how much Bash likes maple syrup."

Jemma found herself laughing as the memory of Charlie's thirteenth birthday sleepover came back to her with Kali's words. How Bash had attempted to open the maple syrup and somehow managed to squirt the sticky substance upwards toward his face. "I'll never forget his face."

"I wish we had gotten a picture," Kali added as they walked through the dark trees along the path. She wished they had arrived earlier in the day and gotten to see the mountain in the light and see how pretty the scenery looked.

"What about the time we walked in on the boys singing along to Shakira?" Jemma asked through her laughter.

"Oh yeah, Charlie had gotten the new Just Dance and was making the boys play, I have to say their hips did not lie."

The girls had fallen into their old ways, connecting like no real time had passed reflecting on their shared memories of fun times. It had been such a pleasant walk that when the sudden appearance of a large body coming out quickly from behind a tree lead both of them to scream loudly.

"Your faces!" Bryan Carmine had almost doubled over in laughter in front of the girls as he knew his attempt to scare them had been successful. Bryan was the boy closest to their age, and he was by far Jemma's current least favorite person at this getaway.

"What the hell Carmine?!" Jemma barked pushing his shoulder, watching him crash back softly into the snow not that he seemed to care as he clutched his stomach.

"That was priceless." He continued to laugh.

"Asshole." Kali mumbled as she stepped over Bryan to continue to the building that housed the cable car.

Jemma stood over the boy, glaring coldly down at him. "Are you done?" She asked as his laughter began to die down. She watched him push himself back up off the ground, snow in his dirty blonde hair making it almost sparkle.

"Almost." He commented as he walked over to bench that had been in front of them and picked up what looked like his phone. He messed with it for a moment before Jemma heard the sound of Kali and her's screams coming from his phone. "And Graham thinks he's the photographer, damn Holloway you have some lungs." He commented as he waved his phone in front of Jemma's face, she bit her lip hard trying her best to keep her temper.

It was Kali who stepped up and grabbed the phone from Bryan's hand. "Thank you." She said as she continued back towards the cable car station where she had dropped off her bag. Bryan chased behind her closely promising to delete it if she would give his phone back. Jemma rolled her eyes, if this was just the start of the weekend what else was bound to happen with eleven almost adults who were already showing how childish they could be.

* * *

 **Graham – Washington Lodge**

 **18:05**

Graham would be lying if he had said the cable car ride with Mona had been all that pleasant. She had talked the entire time, not even giving him a chance to respond to any of her comments or questions before moving onto her next thought. So needless to say when they walked into the warm and inviting lodge to be greeted by the two Young siblings he was beyond relieved. Bash had told him to drop his bag at the door and get his ass in the kitchen which Graham didn't begin to argue. He was relieved that Charlie seemed to be showing Mona to her room. Just a minute without her voice was going to be a real vacation in his opinion.

"Hey Graham." He heard Charity almost coo as he walked into the kitchen where Kol setting up cups on a table and Kota following behind him filling them with a pitcher of water. "How was the trip?" She asked, her tone gave her away, the reason Bash had asked him to wait at the cable car station for Mona, Charity was trying to meddle in others lives, yet again.

"Fucking fabulous." Graham responded with the most fake smile he could muster as Bash slung an arm around his friend handing him a ping pong ball. "I just got here man," Graham tried to use his arrival as an excuse only to be ignored by his friends.

"To bad, I need a partner." Hawk cut him off as he pulled three beers out of the fridge and crossed over to where Kol and Kota were finishing setting up. "Kota told me she wouldn't be on my team." Hawk complained looking at the girl.

"You suck, and you know it." Kota shot back without missing a beat.

Graham wanted nothing more than to just sit back at the bar and enjoy being in the warm lodge for a moment but he knew that would be hopeless with the fact that the rest of the boys had already decided it was time for the party to start. "Fine, but can I at least take my coat off first?" Graham asked taking the ball from the grinning boy next to him.

Graham shrugged his coat off and tossed it on the counter next to where Charity was sitting as Mona and Charlie walked into the kitchen to join the party. Kota took the seat next to Charity as she warned Graham he would be the one carrying his beer pong team. "Moe, you love beer pong right?" Charity asked as Mona walked up to the other girls.

"Uh, yeah?" Mona answered with a confused look on her face. Mona wasn't dense but she probably hadn't been as keen to notice Charity trying to continue to find ways for Graham and Mona to be close to one another.

"You wanna go first then?" Graham asked extending the little white ball to her which she accepted with a smile.

"Well I never turn down a challenge." She said crossing over to the table and standing next to Hawk with a smile. Now if Graham could see a pairing in their group of friends it would be Hawk and Mona, they seemed to fit each other well. The beautiful athlete and the muscular gentleman, seemed like a much better pairing than the beautiful athlete and the geeky photographer.

Graham pulled out his phone and noticed the lack of signal up at the lodge, annoyingly he had signal at the base of the mountain. "Yeah, they don't work. No wifi either. Sucks right?" Charlie commented as poured a drink for herself.

"You agreed to come somewhere without wifi?" He asked as she took a sip of her drink and made a disgusted face. Graham went to her side and took the drink knowing Charlie was probably the least suitable person to play bartender, pouring it down the sink and starting over for her.

"I assumed everywhere has wifi." She smiled at him as he poured proper amounts of alcohol to mixer.

"Well you know what they say about assuming." Graham smirked.

"That you are definitely one step away from a dad joke?" Charlie grinned as she took the cup as Graham finished mixing something for her, she crossed the room and sat by the windows on the side of the table with her brother and Kol.

Graham pulled back out his phone and began to take a few candid pictures of his friends, wanting to actually capture moments of his friends having fun before the drunken escapades began. It was in a that moment he noticed something move by the window, a whip of snow perhaps as the flakes danced in the wind. That was what he told himself as he heard the slight howl of wind from the mountain.


	4. Prologue Part 2

Author's Notes: I wish I could show you how many pages of planning this fic takes. Making sure all of the times line up since there are so many separate scenes. So in this section of the Prologue we get yet another view of every character from a different perspective. I think everyone will be surprised how different some of the characters are described when in the perspective of someone else. Welp that is enough of my awkward little comments I suppose. Oh! Thank you all for the reviews and the love. I appreciate it! Enjoy.

* * *

 **Charity – Washington Lodge Kitchen**

 **20:36**

Charity smirked as she raised her drink to her lips taking a sip before picking up the little white ball from the claimed cup that Graham had managed to make for the first time since the game had started. Thus far, the only two to actually make any cups had been the two girls, Mona and Charity. Bash blamed the fact that this was his fifth or sixth game since he kept changing his excuse from one number to the other and Graham apparently was quite unskilled at this game. Hand eye coordination was something Graham should have theoretically had, yet each throw seemed to prove otherwise with the exception of the last one which Charity had realized was just a sheer accident. "Second cup back on the left side." Charity said calling her shot, as Mona rolled her eyes at her.

"I'll run around the outside of this lodge in my underwear if you manage that." Mona crossed her arms over her chest. Charity loved challenging Mona, it was their mutual love of winning that seemed to unite them both. They always tried to be the best, and Charity had to admit if she were to be second best at anything it would only be acceptable that Mona had been the one to beat her.

Bash took his shot, missing by bouncing on the edge of a cup. "Get ready to run a victory lap for me, Moe." Charity almost sang as she took her shot, her shot bouncing off the edge of the cup she had called and landing in another.

"Does that count? Because I'd pay to see you run around in your underwear in the snow." Bash asked laughing as Graham fished out the ball from the cup, pulling it to the side taking a drink of his beer as he did.

"No but you do get two cups." Mona complained pulling the initial one Charity had called off to the side and taking a drink of her own drink. "I hope Hawk gets back soon because if I have to play another round with Graham I might die of alcohol poisoning." Mona commented as she took a large gulp of her beer.

"Kota would rather freeze to death than admit she lost her phone." Charity commented, as Bash wrapped his arm around her waist smiling down at her. His hair poking up in different ways, his eyes gleaming with a sparkle that said an adventure laid ahead of them. Charity had convinced Kota to come along on this weekend because she had been unsure of if she wanted to be alone with only Mona as a friendly face, but with his behavior towards her she felt herself becoming less nervous.

"And you know there is no way Hawk is going to leave her out there by herself. After all, there are bears in these mountains." Bash said, his eyes flicking away from Charity returning to the others in the room and though Charity would say she was disappointed to not see that glimmer of adventure in his eyes she was relieved to know he remained fully aware they were not alone in the room.

"It's the middle of winter." Graham said as he prepared to make his shot, failing at his attempt shortly there after. "Are they going to wake up and decide that Kota looks like a good snack or something?"

Mona however managed to make her shot while continuing the conversation. "Should we send someone out after them? I mean, if anyone should be eaten this weekend it should probably be Jackson."

Almost if he knew someone was talking about him, Kol and Bryan came into the kitchen, Kol had been showing Bryan some of the cool things he had found in the basement, and though he offered to show everyone no one else seemed to want to see any of the quote "creepy shit" Kol seemed so excited about. "What about eating me?" The way Kol carried himself annoyed Charity to her core, he was confident but the way he carried himself took his pride to a sinful amount. It was probably because Kol knew how to flick his silver tongue to get whatever he wanted from whoever he wanted, but Charity found it disgusting. Though, the only reason she even knew Bash was because of Kol's attempts to flirt with her in middle school. Even then Charity had no interest in the charming little lad, but as he invited her around she became friends with everyone, bringing Kota with her. Slowly their group was formed, and even though everyone was very different they all could claim they had a friend in one another, or so Charity believed.

"Moe plans on feeding you to a bear." Bash answered his eyes darting from the newcomers to the room back to Charity's smile.

"Suppose it's better than some wolves." Kol quipped back as he walked over and picked up the bottle of whiskey off the counter pouring two shots.

Bryan sat on one of the bar stools at the counter, as Kol placed the shot in front of him. The game of beer pong coming to a temporary halt. "Where is everyone?" Bryan asked, as Kol slung the liquid back without even a blink, Bryan was stalling much to Kol's annoyance.

"Hawk and Kota went to find her phone, she thinks she dropped it by the cable car station." Charity informed him as Kol placed his shot glass down on the counter hard enough to make a noise to make Bryan look from the girl speaking back to the self-centered boy. Charity took a deep breath to calm herself, feeling aggravated by the way Kol seemed to think the world had to focus on whatever he was doing. She felt Bash squeeze her side slightly as she glanced up to see him looking down at her shaking his head slightly. "Charlie and the other girls are upstairs, doing something." She finished answering Bryan's question as he took his shot making a horrendous face it went down. Bryan was boy scout type. Not the one to go party whenever the parents were away.

"Well sounds like we have some mischief to get into Carmine." Kol smirked his eyes sitting solely on Charity. "Better than watching a one-sided game of beer pong." Kol said leaving back out of the kitchen, Bryan following in his foot steps.

"I'll take that cup now." Mona said with a smile pulling Charity back into the moment as she realized she was watching the door the two boys had left out of intently.

Bash pulled the cup off to the side of the table, "don't worry about them. They are harmless." Bash reassured her, but something in Charity's gut made her question that statement.

* * *

 **Kali – Upstairs Bedroom Washington Lodge**

 **20:40**

Kali was thankful that Charlie had offered to give Jemma and her a tour of the Lodge upon their arrival. She was already beginning to feel overwhelmed by some of the other guests of the Lodge this weekend and it had been under two hours since her arrival. Kali had attempted a round of beer pong with Jemma as he partner but Bryan and Kol had simply cleared the table of the cups before the two girls had even made half of them. She assumed it was because Bryan had not wanted to drink and he was actually quite skilled at tossing the small ball and hitting the target while Jemma kept tossing hers more or less at the two boys and cursing each time. Kali had managed to make the few they had gotten. Afterwards, she had made an excuse to go run up to her room and check something, shortly after Jemma followed her in and made herself at home on her bed with a magazine. Not long after that Charlie had come in sensing her two friends had left the main party to be by themselves.

Now Charlie sat on the small bench in front of the small vanity in the room, playing with her hair in the mirror making faces at herself, while Jemma sat on the bed reading out questions from a relationship quiz she had found in the old magazine. "Kali you have said C a lot, I am just gonna assume you are going to answer all of these as C." Jemma complained as Kali dug through her bag trying to find the new top she had just been telling Charlie about, though it would be far to cold to where in winter in Canada it was extremely cute.

"That doesn't seem fair, but okay." Kali complained as she pulled out the black thin sweater that was long enough to be worn with legging.

"Uh oh! This is not going to work! He's like a crazy reckless hunk of a man and you're staying at home working on your embroidery and practicing G minor on the piano. Give up on it!" Jemma read in a dramatic voice. "Sorry Kali." She smiled wildly as Kali gave her an unamused look. "No hunky hunk for you this weekend." She almost seemed to sing as Kali handed the sweater to Charlie, finally pulling her away from staring at herself in the mirror as she held up the top.

"This is super cute!" Charlie gushed as she felt it up to her. "Can I try it on?" She asked, even though Kali knew no matter what answer she gave the other girl was going to do whatever she wanted.

"Sure, though I am not sure it is going to fit." Kali tried to say as nicely as she could.

Charlie stood up and walked towards the bed tossing the sweater on the bed as she pulled her jacket off. "What is that suppose to mean?" Charlie glared at Kali, however Jemma slid in the conversation with Kali's save.

"You are flat as a board and Kali's got a perfect rack? Yeah, pretty sure that is what she was nicely saying if I still speak Kali-nese well." Jemma smiled between the two girls as Charlie erupted in laughter that made Kali smile.

Jemma had never had a problem being blunt or saying what was on her mind, while Kali still felt like a bit of an outsider. Charlie often called Kali her best friend, but Kali had often wondered if that was because she agreed with Charlie more often than others did. "Well I've never heard any complaints about my apparent lack of curves." Charlie scoffed as she pulled her gray sweater over her head, reliving a white bra with clack lace outlining it.

"Why would they when you put them on display like that?" Jemma rolled over on the bed facing towards Kali rolling her eyes. "Who are you so dressed up for anyways? You still crushing on Carmine or something?"

Kali watched the red head pull the thin black sweater on over her bra, the white of the bra showing through the thin fabric as she pulled it off on of her shoulders and posed in the mirror once more. "No, that was like freshman year, and everyone likes him so make fun of me all you want but we got a great friend out of that stupid crush."

"Stupid crush that had you practicing your signature as Charlotte Carmine." Kali pointed out with a smile as Charlie's arms crossed over her chest.

"Damn we could be calling her CC." Jemma remarked laughing.

"Laugh it up, but you two remember I know all your little secrets too." Charlie's smile told them both she wasn't actually as angry as her stance and crossed arms would lead one to believe.

Charlie uncrossed her arms and pulled her phone out of her pocket to take a photo of her reflection in the mirror. She snapped a couple of herself before turning the camera on Jemma and Kali. Jemma made a ridiculous face while Kali cocked her head to the side with a smile. "It's really not fair how much better it looks on you." Kali whined as she admired her sweater on Charlie wishing to swap bodies for a moment. She would have loved to have some of Charlie's height or her delicate features in comparison to Kali's own short stature and muscles. While Kali was not as muscular as Mona, she had found herself not buying clothing because her shoulders looked to broad or her fore arms looked to large.

"Charlie's turn." Jemma spouted out sitting up right on the bed for the first time, as Kali found herself sitting on the bench once occupied by Charlie in front of the vanity facing the two girls. "Question one..."

"I don't think so, just give it to me." Charlie said as she tossed herself on the bed and pulled the magazine out of Jemma's hands. "A, A, B, A, C, A, B." Charlie rattled off as she read each question.

"Mostly A's huh?" Jemma smiled as she pulled the magazine back from Charlie and flipped it over to see the answer column. "Hot damn! This relationship is already sizzling." Jemma started off as Charlie pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed.

"Well at least you have a love life." Kali chimed in before turning to look at her reflection in the mirror, her dark brown hair braided into a rope coming down over her right shoulder still looked neat even after the long day of travel.

Jemma paused for a moment. "Charlie, you aren't seeing anyone are you?" The question seemed to innocent, but when it came to Charlie, to was a loaded question. For being as smart as she was Charlie had awful taste in boyfriends.

"None of your business." Charlie smiled, and Kali knew she was seeing someone.

"What's his name?" Kali asked looking over her shoulder at the two girls on the bed.

Charlie stood up and pulled her jacket back on over the thin black sweater. "I'm going to get a drink," With that Charlie left, avoiding the situation and the questions like she often did.

Kali looked back to Jemma who just shrugged, "she'll tell us by tomorrow, or after a couple more screwdrivers." Jemma reassured her before returning to reading the trash articles in the old magazine.

Kali found herself looking back into the mirror seeing a reflection of the door as well. "Bitch stole my shirt." Kali remarked breaking the silence that had fallen in the room.

"Yeah, you aren't getting that back." Jemma laughed.

* * *

 **Kota – Path To Upper Cable Car Station**

 **20:35**

"How hard can it be to find a phone in a neon green case in the middle of snow?" Kota whined in desperation. She had noticed her phone was missing about twenty minutes prior and though she never thought she would be so attached to an inanimate object she found herself desperate to find it after just five minutes. When she had insisted on going out to look for it that minute instead of in the morning like everyone else had insisted she do, Hawk had agreed to go with her and look.

He had managed to find a large torch that felt more like a club in Kota's hands than a light. As they walked down the path towards the cable car station, her scanning the light from side to side over the ground that was just becoming more covered with fresh white snow with every minute. Hawk was using his phone's flash light to "look" though he seemed to be less aiming the light at the ground and more the spaces around them and ahead of them.

"Are you going to help me look at just admire the creepy fucking trees?" Kota found herself snapping at Hawk who just turned his light to shine directly in her face. She squinted her eyes at the bright light.

"We are on a mountain known to have bears, wolves, and other animals who would love to bite your head off so don't bite mine." Hawk said sternly, his voice low and a bit gravelly. "Besides, a bet half a foot of snow has fallen since we got here, you aren't going to find it, which we tried to tell you earlier." Hawk was clearly growing a bit annoyed of her whining over the lost phone.

Kota saw the outline of the cable car building in the distance as the snow blew off the top of it back towards the ground. "I just want my phone." She said in defeat realizing she was being a bit of a bitch to the only person who had offered to come out in the cold with her. "Can you try calling it again?" She asked as he shook his head, he had tried when they first noticed it was missing, everyone had but no one had enough signal to get a phone call to go through. The landline in the lodge worked but her phone had went straight to voicemail. "This sucks." She complained as she approached the building, the wide clearing of trees with a picnic table off to the side.

Hawk crossed to the overlook that Charity and Kota had stood at while the two boys had gathered their bags shining his light at the white snow. "It's just a phone, Kota." His words were meant to calm her, that it was just an object it wasn't a person that was missing.

"I know, but it is my phone. If you lost yours, wouldn't you want to find it?" She asked him as walked up to the building shining her light along the covered deck of the outside of the building.

"If it was mine, I probably wouldn't have noticed until we left for the weekend seeing as they don't work with a shit." Kota bit the inside of her lip as he smirked, crouching down and brushing away some of the snow by his feet. Kota looked around seeing nothing by the door of the station, opening the door of the building. She stepped inside flicking on the switch for the light inside of the building as she clicked off the torch she held. The cable car was still in its dock at the top station so she walked over and peered inside of the car, still not seeing anything.

A loud noise came from above her, and she found herself jumping almost out of her skin. "What the fuck Hawk?!" She barked spinning around to see the boy who had accompanied her was still outside of the window of the station looking around the picnic table. She looked around the station and peered over the edge of the actual station seeing just a straight fall beneath her. The cold shivers running down her spine, told her to end her search. There was something wrong, something spending the chills down her spine but she didn't know what it was. She flicked the torch back on and stepped out of the station flicking off the light and pulling the door back shut as she did, only to spin around and flash her light through the window of the darkened station, it felt as if she were being watched. "Hawk let's go," she said her voice wavering a bit as she spoke.

"What giving up so soon?" He asked with a smirk, as she crossed over to him. "Thank god, it's fucking cold out here." He commented as she walked past him towards the path, walking ahead of the older boy. She powered ahead, hearing the crunch of the snow beneath their feet and her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She paused for a moment as the sound of her heart quietened and so did the sound of crunching snow. She spun around and flashing her light behind her only to see no one. "Hawk?" She asked quietly, frozen in her spot. "Hawk?" She repeated as she scanned her light across the area behind her. "This isn't fucking funny." She cursed as she looked back forward on the path.

She suddenly heard the sound of snow crushing quickly beneath shoes from behind her, making her turn back to where Hawk should have been earlier. "Hawk?" She asked once more as she felt a touch on her left shoulder. With her already heightened senses the touch scared her more than it would have ever in a normal situation but she screamed loudly as she spun around her hand making contact with the owner of the hand's cheek to a loud slap.

"What the fuck Raiman?!" A voice echoed in response as Kota's sense began to return. The outline of two boys becoming clear as she began to analyze who's face her hand had come in contact with. Kol stood in front of her Bryan by his side as the first held his cheek.

Kota stumbled backwards a bit, pulling the torch to her chest. "You scared me." She tried to explain as Bryan shined his light past her to the large body running up towards them.

"Are you okay?" Hawk asked wrapping his arm around Kota as she stood there shrinking into herself in embarrassment, not wanting to fully explain that she had scared herself so badly that even a gentle touch had made her scream.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She stammered out quickly as Kol stood there his blood boiling his face turning more red with every second.

"Glad your fine, what the fuck was that about?!" Kol barked loudly.

Hawk stepped between the two making a large wall of muscle that neither wanted to deal with. "Enough, it's cold lets head back."

"We were heading to the cable car station, we were going down to the truck Charlie left a bag down there." Bryan explained trying to defuse the tension growing between the small group.

"Best be on your way then, its getting pretty late." Hawk stated looking between Bryan and Kol finally setting his eyes on Kol. "Come on, Kota, I found your phone back on the path." He said using his free hand to actually hand her the phone that was in a bright green case but otherwise completely dead. With his arm still wrapped over her shoulder he pulled her a bit to make her legs begin to finish the walk towards the cabin.

* * *

 **Hawk – Washington Lodge**

 **20:46**

As they entered the lodge she went over to the first couch she could find and sat in the corner clicking off the torch and setting it on the table. Squeezing her phone tightly in one hand as he walked into the kitchen seeing Charity sitting with Bash by the window. "Where's Kota" Charity asked as Hawk walked over to the refrigerator to pull out a drink.

"Living room, Kol scared the shit out of her, but we found her phone." He answered as Jemma and Kali walked into the kitchen laughing about something. Charity excused herself quickly brushing past the other girls to go see if Kota was okay.

"Where is Charlie?" Kali asked as Charity brushed by them.

"Haven't seen her since she left to join you guys." Bash answered as Hawk leaned against the counter top in the kitchen.

"She said she was coming down here." Jemma insisted before turning around and leaving with Kali shortly behind her.

Hawk let out a sigh as her ran his hands through his hair shaking out any remaining snow. "Graham?" He asked as Bash shook his head at the quick entrance and exit of the girls.

"Head. Mona went to change, she's a bit tipsy so I doubt she's coming back if she finds her bed." Bash answered.

"Should have just planned a hunting trip." Hawk stated as he put the beer to his lips taking a drink of the cold liquid.

"Charlie planned this, I would have went to a beach. Bikinis over sweaters any day." Bash grinned at his friend as the two laughed.

* * *

Author's Notes Part 2:

So, this wasn't originally how I laid out this part but I decided to change up the original lay out because I felt like cutting it where it was originally set to end was a bit to cruel of a cliff hanger. Anyways I love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and if you wish to add any additional information about your characters feel free to send it to me. I hope you enjoyed part 2, and expect part 3 soon.


	5. Prologue Part 3

Author's Notes: I'm going to keep this short, expect actual notes at the end of the chapter, this is more just a spot holder for where my notes would go if I wasn't afraid of spoiling anything.

* * *

 **Kol – Washington Lodge**

 **21:53**

His cheek was still red, Bryan made sure he knew that as they walked back up from the cable car station together. Kol was beyond frustrated, Charlie had stopped him and ask he go back all the way down to the truck to get a bag that she had forgotten. She had made it seem so important yet it was just a small blue backpack, that didn't feel like it had hardly anything in it. He was tempted to look inside after the long trip down there and now back but he knew better than to invade Charlie's privacy. She was secretive and if anyone could ruin his weekend it was that girl.

He tossed the bag on the table in the living room of the lodge where Kota, Charity, and Mona were now congregating talking about him surprisingly. "Have you two seen Charlie?" Mona asked as soon as she saw the two boys.

"No we were down at the cars." Bryan responded as he kicked the snow from his shoes and pulling off his beanie.

Kol was shaking the snow from his hair as he spoke, "what isn't she here? This place is huge maybe she is in one of the five bathrooms." He was trying to make light of the situation but it was clear it was the wrong time to make jokes.

"Do you think we would have asked if she was here?" Kota seemed to spit out like venom. Clearly the boys had missed something in the thirty minutes it had taken them to get to the cars and back.

Kol began to ask what was going on to gather more information on everyone's short temper when Sebastian and Graham came through the door to the basement holding a couple of battery powered torches. "I am telling you man, we could have just broken that door down if you'd given me a couple more minutes." Sebastian complained to the other boy.

"Yeah, break you shoulder when there is a key up here probably. Where did you leave the keys the owners gave you?" Graham responded as he walked through the common room that everyone else Kol had seen so far was and rounded into te kitchen quickly.

"Top drawer under the microwave." Bash said as he tossed himself onto the couch his hand covering his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. Charity moved closer to him on the couch just to have him inch away at her touch.

It was Bryan to Kol's surprise that inserted the pair into the situation. "Someone mind telling us what's going on?" He asked his eyes directed at Mona who was known to be very straight to the point about most things.

Mona looked from the two younger boys to Bash before taking a deep breath to start her story. "Charlie had been up in the room Jemma and Kali were going to share when she said she was going to come down for a drink but we never saw her turn up."

"Only person who has seen since is you two." Kota interrupted.

"She sent us down to get her bag." Kol answered holding up the small black backpack that seemed to pique Bash's interest for a moment.

Bash stood up and crossed to Kol quite literally ripping the small bag from his hands which caused Kol to open his mouth in protest only to receive a cold glare from the older boy. He unzipped the main compartment as he sat the bag on the arm of the couch. He pulled out a balled up sweatshirt, a few knotted cords, a notebook before growing frustrated and flipped the bag over and just dumping any of the remained contents on the couch. Nothing out of the ordinary, a few pens, chapstick containers, a small makeup bag; Bash clearly was frustrated by the fact no one had seen his younger sister in the last hour in the middle of a snow storm.

The silence in the room was growing so thick it would have been hard to cut through, but as Graham re-entered jingling a ring of keys. Bash's attention spun the chestnut haired boy who he had been in the basement with. "Think the keys were in that bag or something?" Graham asked as he looked to Bash.

"No I just wondered why the hell Charlie sent her boyfriend after a useless bag of shit." Bash grumbled as he went to cross over to Graham, everyone seeming to be shocked by the fact Bash seemed to know about one of the worst kept secrets among the group while others seemed generally shocked by the news. He stepped on the sweatshirt that was still in a ball on the floor now only to hear a cracking noise. He stopped as mumbles started around the few people as Bryan questioned Kol and Kota whispered to Mona and Charity. Bash knelt down and picked up the sweatshirt, as he did the thing he dreaded finding in his sisters things were in the middle. An almost completely filled pill bottle.

Bash clutched the bottle tightly as he stood back up ignoring the muttering. "Graham." His voice loud and booming, whether it be intentional of not it commanded the attention of all in the room and sent a cold chill down Kol's spine. "Take Bryan and go check that door in the basement." Bash pocketed the bottle, as he Graham agreed. "Kol, you're coming with me." Bash said in the same tone as he headed to the door. "Charity," he paused as he reached the door. "Go ahead and call the local police using the landline..." His voice suddenly weaker than before. "Tell them, Charlie is missing and she has a history of manic behavior, and to send someone as soon as possible."

"Bash..." Kol heard Charity breath before biting her lip and pushing herself off the couch to head to the dining room where Kol had seen the only land line in the entire lodge.

Bash's eyes were filled with fire as they met with Kol's, "let's go." He said simply, though as Bryan disappeared with Graham to the basement, and it was just Kol and the two girls on the couch Kol could tell there was a burning rage that made him feel unsure of being alone with his friend.

* * *

 **Charlie – Blackwood Mountains**

 **22:04**

Charlie felt cold. In her boots she felt snow, on her cheeks she felt the chilled air. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found a scream sticking to her throat. Her mind raced, unable to focus on a single factor in her situation. Her ripped jeans, her torn sweater, her ankle throbbed in pain, her surrounding dim and damp. She knew she should focus on one of her problems yet her mind kept jumping. It kept scanning for more issues. It wouldn't stop until it came full circle back to her original thought. Cold.

* * *

 **Bryan – Washington Lodge Basement**

 **22:02**

Bryan followed behind Graham as he descended the stairs to the creepy basement Kol and he ahd explored earlier. "Watch your step man, that second to last step almost took me out earlier." Graham stated as Bryan looked down to see a broken stair that would have tripped anyone not paying attention.

"Mind telling me why we are down here?" Bryan questioned as the rounded the corner into the actual basement. "There isn't much down here, just some creepy old toys and workbench."

"We split up to look for Charlie and Bash and I checked down here only to find a locked door, that Bash remembers being open earlier." Graham commented, he seemed less like his cheerful self and more wounded.

"At the end of the basement? It was locked when Kol and I were down here too? Think she managed to unlock it?" Bryan rattled off question after question.

"Look man!" Graham said snapping as the youngest boy in their group questioned him. "There is clearly a lot of shit I don't know so if you could just shut up. I'd appreciate it." Graham was the nice one typically and seeing him snap was something Bryan had only seen him do when his photo editing software shut down on him when he forgot to save.

Bryan followed Graham quietly to the end of the hall to the door Kol and he had found closed earlier that Graham theoretically had a key to as he pulled out the keys and handed his torch to Bryan. "Keep it on the lock okay?" He asked clearly feeling a bit bad about snapping earlier as Bryan took hold of the torch. Graham started with the first key on the ring and began to filter through them trying only ones that seemed likely to fit the old lock. The key testing took probably about three minutes before Graham had cycled through every possible key, then once more with even the ones that were far to new to work on the old lock. "Man are you sure its even locked and just not jammed?" Bryan asked as Graham kicked the door in exasperation.

"Bash tossed himself against it a few times before I made him stop," Graham explained as he leaned against the door, his hand running through his chestnut hair.

"So Bash's full force, and you kicking it and you somehow think Charlie, the girl who can't even open a jar of pickles is going to get through it?" Bryan explained putting much needed reason into this situation.

"I didn't think about it, Bash just seemed so intent on her hiding somewhere. This seemed like the better option." Bryan understood what Graham meant, Charlie being lost somewhere, anywhere in the lodge was a better choice than her being out in the cold.

"She's probably upstairs asking Charity why she called in a missing persons notice and insisting all the girls stash the booze." Bryan said with the most sincere smile he could muster trying to comfort Graham if he could.

Graham returned the half-hearted smile. "You're probably right."

"We'll find her, how many places can there possibly be to get lost in?" Bryan asked as he started walking back up towards the stairs to the main lodge.

* * *

 **Charlie – Blackwood Mountain**

 **22:23**

Charlie had managed to calm her thoughts enough to bring herself to her feet and examine her location a bit more. She had fallen when she was trying to avoid a blocked path. She had entered a tunnel and after a few steps as she fumbled with her phone trying to turn on the flashlight app she had found herself falling and landing badly on her ankle, scraping her body against the ground. She hadn't sure how long she had been stuck down in this tunnel or why there was a tunnel here. She hadn't heard of their being mines on this mountain yet here in front of her was an old mining cart and barrels. She had staggered over to one of the barrels and pushed on it surprising it fell over empty much to her satisfaction. She pushed it over to the ledge in which she had fell from trying her damnedest not to put any real amount of weight on her left ankle that throbbed in pain with each step.

She stood the barrel up back on its end as she pushed herself up onto the barrel testing her weight on it before standing up on it and pulling herself back up onto the ledge that she had fallen from. As she pulled herself fully onto the ground above her she turned around to look back down to the ground beneath her, her phone still down there somewhere, probably in a thousand pieces.

"Fuck." She muttered as she laid her back against the frozen ground.

* * *

 **Mona – Washington Lodge**

 **22:35**

"Seriously, what could be taking them so long?" Kota asked as she paced around in front of the fire. Mona had curled her legs up into the chair with her, as a blanket laid over her lap. She had went up to her room and changed into a set of basketball shorts and a t-shirt for bed, but after she had began to doze off her room had been invaded by Kota and Jemma asking if Charlie was in there, and as each minute passed her buzz turned into a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Charity came walking back into the living room carrying two mugs of coffee one for herself, the other for Mona. "Here Moe," Charity said handing her the spare mug before sitting on the couch staring into the fire.

"Charity, maybe you should..." Kota started.

"Would you stop pacing and sit down." Charity said sternly looking up to her best friend. Mona knew that the two girls had been through everything together, but this was touching new territory. "They said they were sending units, but the storm would delay any officers, but to hold tight..."

"Hold tight?!" Kota laughed as she threw her arms into the air. "Literally all of our friends are wandering around in the snow looking for your boyfriends crazy ass little sister!"

"Dakota!" Charity barked, her voice rang for a moment in Mona's ears as she watched the two friends come to a verbal stand off. "Sit. Down." Charity let each word fall from her lips as she stared down the other girl who crossed her arms over her chest before tossing herself into the chair opposite Mona. "We just need to be patient." Charity said taking a sip of her coffee, Mona attempting to do the same only to make a bitter face at Charity's overly strong black coffee.

"Did you clean up the kitchen?" Mona asked knowing that what Charity had intended to do when she went to make the coffee, though Mona also thought it was because Dakota would not stop pacing which was setting Charity further on edge.

Charity seemed intent on staring at her coffee, "yeah, all the liquor is stashed and let me tell you I bet the kitchen is cleaner now then we got here."

Mona reached out to the table to set down the mug she was never going to bring to her lips again as Charity also took a drink and made an equally sour face. "That's good..." Mona began as she watched Kota spring from her seat once more and continue to pace. "Kota is there something that makes you do that?!" Mona found herself snapping as the other girl began to pace once more.

"I just can't sit still, how can you two both remain so calm." Kota squeaked out, for the first time Mona saw the distress written clearly across her face. "Charlie is out there wandering around probably dazed out of her mind. You saw the bottle Bash pulled out of her hoodie didn't you?" Kota started only to clench her fists, Mona was sure she was digging her nails into her palms to distract herself.

Mona knew where she was going, it was a well-known unspoken fact that Charlie had been seeing a psychiatrist since she was ten. Mona had never thought she needed too until she saw her tripping out due to a prescription that didn't agree with her. "She'll be fine Kota, so will everyone else."

Mona looked over to see Charity staring into the fire, the reflection of the flames dancing in her eyes as she held the mug of unsavory coffee tightly. "Yeah, everyone will be fine... We just need to be patient."

* * *

 **Sebastian – Blackwood Mountain**

 **22:23**

Kol was keeping his distance as they walked through the woods, Bash had decided it was best to head up towards the cabin that was part of the lodge, walking part of the way up the path only to break off and check the woods around the path every so often. So far Kol had kept his mouth shut as well only calling out for Charlie ever so often as he heard another voice echo her name somewhere else on the mountain. Bryan and Graham had met them on the path saying they couldn't find her in the basement, and so far as far as they knew Hawk, Kali, and Jemma had also came up empty handed as they had been searching down by the cable car station.

"Charlie," Bash called as they approached what looked like a clearing off the side of a path where a picnic table was set up.

"Charlie!" Kol echoed shortly after as they walked up, Kol stopping at picnic table as he dug his hands deeper in his pockets to avoid the cold. Bash continued out closer to the edge of the clearing where some ropes that hung about mid calf were meant to block off the area to keep people from getting to close to the edge. "Charlie!" Kol called once more causing Bash to turn around and look at his friend for a moment.

"Hey Kol," Bash found himself speaking to his companion for the first time since they had wandered out into the snow, "just don't break her heart, man. I'd hate to have to beat the shit out of you." Bash grinned at the other boy as he kicked at the snow a bit.

"Does that mean we are cool?" Kol asked pulling his hand out of his pocket just to shake some of the snow loose from his hair.

Bash started back towards Kol when they both heard the weak sound of a woman's voice calling Bash's name in the distance. "Charlie?!" Bash let out quickly spinning around on his heels, closer to the edge until the snow slipped from beneath his feet.

He would remember the air rushing around him. Falling was a wonderful feeling.

* * *

 **Charlie – Blackwood Mountain**

 **22:34**

Charlie had been stumbling through the cold, her fingers had gone from cold to completely numb. Her eyelashes was collecting snow flakes making it hard to blink, each time she closed her eyes for a second she debated if she should open them again or not. Charlie was feeling hopeless each time she heard the sound of her name echoing through the trees she felt a new short burst of energy, it had been the only driving force until she saw the outline of two boys, one she recognized instantly.

"Bash!" She called out weakly as she identified him, she watched his form move then within a blink he was gone.

The sound of her scream echoed through the woods as she found herself running as fast as she could on her wounded ankle. In a blur she found herself in the arms of Kol as she cried out, causing them both to crash to the ground in the snow as he held her. She struggled to get free of his grip to run to the edge where she had last seen his figure, yet Kol held her back.

She cried as Kol held her until she felt Kali's touch on her shoulder as she saw multiple flashlights light the area. The static of police radios, the yells of escaping emotions, all the noises that surrounded her seem to be turning into a vague hum.

It was all a blur as the police deemed it an accident. A simple accident.

* * *

 **Sebastian Young: Time of Death – 22:34**

* * *

Author's Notes: So sorry this took so long. It was because I have literally written the ending of this chapter three different ways, but this one wins. I will probably have Chapter one up in the next couple of days. It is done I just need to re-read it to check for any loose ends I need to make sure they are neatly tied up. I hope you all enjoyed this. I know it was painful for me to pick this ending. But with this the stage is set. Painfully set.


	6. Chapter 1: Remembrance

**Remembrance – Ten Hours Until Dawn**

Survivors - 10

* * *

 **Kali – Lower Cable Car Station**

 **21:02**

Kali sat on the bench outside of the cable car station watching the video invitation she had received from Charlotte Young just over a month ago, once more just trying to figure out why they were back here.

Charlie was sitting at her desk, in front of her laptop, in the background Kali saw the room she had been in a thousand times, however now there were a bunch of clothing thrown about and a messy bed something that Charlie would have thrown a fit about before. She was biting her lip when the video clip started, Kali watched as Charlie breathed in a deep steady breath and closed her eyes before exhaling and beginning to speak. "Hey everyone. I know, I am probably the last person most of you expected to hear from." She looked tired, broken, just like the last time Kali had seen her. Over the last year, Kali attempted to reach out to her friend more than a few times but Charlie seemed to be on her own self-destructive path that she wanted to be alone on. "This is the third time I have tried to record this fucking thing so excuse my less than cheerful mood." Charlie explained as Kali examined her eyes, darkened by smudged mascara and eyeliner, slightly puffy with dark bags underneath. She had been crying recently, probably because it was so close to the anniversary of Bash's death. "So we all know, the anniversary of Bash's death is coming up, and I was planning a trip because I didn't want to be home for it, and after what I am sure you all heard about with his birthday... or what would have been his birthday last year... I just don't think I should be alone." Kali knew exactly what she was talking of, Charlie had been in pain, she had been desperate, the seventy-two hours in the psyche ward had been the first step Charlie had taken to actually coping with her brothers death. "Anyways, my parents bought that Lodge, fucked up right? Owners sold it for cheap. I thought what better place to remember Bash then where we all last saw him. Partying like the rockstar he pretended to be. So if you guys want to join me, just hit me back." Charlie froze on the screen as she ended the message, her eyes drifting off to the side as she began to look away. Seeing her in so much pain was what had motivated Kali into coming back after all this time, Charlie had been her best friend since they were small kids, and she was finally reaching out for help. How could Kali say no to someone in so much pain?

The only reason Kali stopped looking at the frozen frame of Charlie sitting at her computer was the ball of ice shattering into a thousand little pieces next to her head against the wall of the cable car station. She looked up to see Jemma walking towards her with a brilliant smile that only Jemma could manage to fake that well. Jemma looked as beautiful as the last time Kali had seen her, her dark hair curling perfectly the Kali could only compare to models in magazines. Though it was easy to compare Jemma to a model with her long legs and tall height, and in the tight black jeans she was in and black coat she could have walked off a cat walk in a fashion show. After last year, Jemma was one of the only people Kali had really kept in close contact with, bonding over the fact that Charlie pushed both of them away after Bash's funeral.

"Hello gorgeous!" Jemma called as she approached Kali, as Kali quickly tried to put her phone back into her pocket. "Trying to get those last few minutes of social media?" Jemma asked with a smirk as noticed Kali and her phone. It was common knowledge that Blackwood Mountain had never been cell phone friendly.

"Had to kill the time somehow." Kali smiled as she stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She noticed Jemma wasn't carrying any baggage with her. "Where is all your stuff?" She asked trying to make small talk.

Jemma smiled, "I got here a few hours ago, I rode up here with Graham. I just came down to go to town with," Jemma said pausing slightly and looking over her shoulder, seeming to notice something or rather someone was missing. "Well, Kol and Bryan should be around here somewhere. You are actually the last one to get here, well you and Bryan, pretty much everyone else has already rode up on the cable car. I still hate that thing." Jemma spoke as Kali saw the boys appearing from behind a tree, snowballs in hand. "I swear to god if you guys hit either of us I will end both of you!" Jemma called without even turning around, like she was a mother with a sixth sense of the trouble her children were getting into. Kali smirked as Kol tossed his in the air behind him and Bryan not being one to waste threw his squarely at a tree. "These two have been driving me nuts for the past twenty minutes, I thought I was going to have to put a leash on them both in town." Jemma complained as she walked over to the cable car stations door.

"It's locked I checked." Kali commented to her the other girl who produced a key from her pocket.

"Charlie gave us the key," she stated simply as the boys approached the station as well.

Kol walked up and put an arm around Kali's shoulder much to her disgust. She had to admit in the immediate days following Bash's fall last year, she blamed Kol for his death. He was a slimy player who Charlie should have never allowed herself to get tied with to start with, if Charlie hadn't been out in the woods Bash would have never fallen trying to find her. It had only been Jemma vouching for what happened out in the woods that night that made her shift the blame from Kol to just an extremely unfortunate turn of events. "You weren't waiting to long right?" He asked with his signature charming smile that made Kali's stomach flip in disgust.

She shrugged out from under his grip and followed Jemma closely as she walked into the station. "That's called rejection, my friend." Bryan laughed behind Kali as she slid into the station before the boys. Kali only turned because she heard the clamor of Bryan stumbling, possibly due to Kol pushing him in response to his comment.

"You'd know all about that, right Carmine?" Kol commented as he followed Jemma up into the control room for the cable car.

Bryan was left standing next to Kali, rubbing his arm gently, he hadn't appeared to change much from the previous year, his dirty blonde hair was no longer as wild as it once was, now it was swept back so one could clearly see his bright blue eyes. His fashion sense was still the same though, a heavy workman's coat in that ugly tan color and blue jeans but unlike last year he was wearing winter boots instead of tennis shoes. "You okay?" He asked as Kali realized she must have been staring.

"Uh... Yeah. Why?" She asked diverting her eyes to the cable car, crossing over to the door and stepping inside, Bryan following behind her.

"Because I wasn't, to be honest I almost didn't even come this weekend." Bryan admitted as he sat across from her in the cable car. "It felt to soon... but seeing everyone back. It changed my mind, I'm glad I came." He admitted staring out the window towards the mountain. Kali knew what he meant, she had felt that same feeling when she initially received the invitation from Charlie.

"Five bucks says this thing doesn't move when we close the door." Kali heard Kol state loudly as he slammed the office door loudly as Jemma and he approached the cable car.

"Its literally turn it on and flip a switch, I think I can handle that without your assistance Kol." Jemma complained as she climbed into the cable car taking the seat next to Kali smiling quickly at the other girl. Kol rolled his eyes as he stepped inside also pulling the door shut behind them and almost falling into the seat next to Bryan as the car jerked into movement. "Told you."

* * *

 **Kota – Washington Lodge**

 **21:10**

"I am not going to say I hate this place, but it definitely isn't on my list of favorite places." Dakota stressed as she walked to the front door of the lodge with Moe by her side. Mona had been the only one who wasn't driving up early and Kota was sure to stress the fact she didn't agree with coming back to this place by everyone who had asked if she planned on going. Dakota had only really agreed to come because after Charlie had sent that stupid video invitation to everyone Kota ran into her at a small local coffee shop. The girl looked almost healthy for the first time in ages, a smile across her lips, her vibrant red hair actually falling in a styled manner and not in a wild disarray like it had been every other time they had crossed paths.

Moe grabbed hold of the door's handle and attempted to turn it just for it to remain closed. "Look it's locked, maybe we should just go back home..." Moe's words were Kota's exact thought but Moe hadn't seen Charlie that day. Moe hadn't seen the joy in her face when she asked if Dakota planned on joining them at the lodge. Kota knew Moe was only there because Kota was.

"Or we could try knocking. Graham and his crazy conspiracy theory probably locked the door." Kota told the other girl who's lips turned into a pout as she tapped her fist lightly against the door. "No answer." Moe almost sang as they stood in the cold.

Dakota rolled her eyes as she pulled her phone from her pocket, and checked the signal bar seeing a flicker of hope for a moment as she saw the tiniest little bar next the antenna symbol for a moment before disappearing like she knew it was bound too. "How about we give them more than like five seconds, it is a big place." Dakota said pocketing her phone and walking over to sit on the steps of the porch. Moe knocked once more, rougher than she had earlier standing impatiently behind Kota for a few more minutes before joining her on the step, sitting so close to Kota there was barely any space between them. Kota felt warmth traveling to her cheeks against her will as the other girl sat so close.

"It feels weird being here..." Mona said breaking the silence and Kota from her thoughts of how close their bodies were. "It's just as cold, yet it feel colder dontcha think?" She asked staring out into the woods as the snow fell in front of them.

"It's just your imagination." Kota stressed as she looked over to the other girl staring out into the snow, it reminded her of the police station last year at this time.

The police had carted them all off to be questioned, yet they all seemed to gather in the same waiting room while one by one they were taken back for questioning. Kota felt like her questioning took mere seconds while others like Hawk, Graham, Kol had been back their for ages. She remembered explaining how Bash had found a pill bottle in Charlie's things, and how he was dead set on searching for her before the police arrived. She remembered how Mona had sat just as she was now closely to Kota as she sat on the small bench in the waiting room between Hawk and Kota. She remembered how Mona seemed to stare at the wall trying to see if she could see the paint begin to flake away.

Kota also remembered watching Graham sitting on the floor while he mindlessly fidgeted with his phone, spinning it between his fingers as he impatiently starred at the door waiting for someone to come through with news on Charlie's well being as she was the only one not in the police station with them. They had taken her to the base of the mountain and placed her in the back of an ambulance without even breathing a word of which hospital she was going too just a mention of possible hypothermia and needing supervision. He was the polar opposite of Kol who seemed to be intent on counting the speck of color in the linoleum beneath his feet. She hadn't seen Kol's eyes once since they had walked into the police station, he had been the first called in for questioning and after what felt like an eternity he rejoined the group and Hawk had been called back in his place. Since he had placed his head in his hands and stayed bent over focused on the floor. Kol had been the only one there from what Bryan mentioned to Kota in the back of the police van. Kol and Bash had found Charlie, and then Bash lost his footing, yet something seemed to be missing in Kol's story that he told to the others who had found them based on Charlie's scream. Kol seemed out of it. He was unable to focus on anything, he had told Graham and Bryan that one second Bash had been there, the next he was gone, and that he had to of fallen, there was no other reasonable explanation. He had to have slipped, but he was standing there, both feet firmly planted.

Kota looked over to Charity who had purposely place herself in one of the only actual chairs in the room so no one could sit next to her. She hugged her knees to her chest of her eyes remained bloodshot and red. She hadn't found out what had happened to Bash until the police arrived back to the lodge with the others. She screamed and cried, Kota tried to comfort her, only to be pushed away. The only person who had even managed to touch the girl had been Hawk who felt her tightly to his chest even as she beat her closed fists against his chest crying out about how it was cruel to play tricks like this.

Kali had been sitting next to Bryan on the floor, close to Charity her head leaned on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. Kali had been crying, she was a sensitive soul, but Kota found her tears more than just a saddened friend. Bryan let the youngest girl of the group use his shoulder to dry her tears, while he continued to rub his own eyes and brush his hair from his face.

Kota remembered one moment clearer than any. It was Jemma's entrance back into the waiting room. It was how she walked in a daze, how the police officer just left not calling anyone else back or even saying a word. "Mister and Misses Young are here..." Her voice was clear and surprisingly strong for how she dazed she appeared. "The police told them there was no body at the base of the cliff." She said clearly, and suddenly Kota felt the weight on the bench shift as Hawk pushed himself up and crossed straight over to Kol pulling him up by his collar.

"What aren't you telling us?" Hawk's low deep voice filled the room as he forced Kol to look at him.

The tension so thick that only the loud voice of the police officer managed to diffuse it.

"Kota!" The voice sounded like the police officer from her memory for a moment before she realized she had just been so focused on her memory that the entire world had seemed to melt into it. The voice had belonged to Mona who was now standing over her at the open door. "You just going to keep watching the snow fall? Graham said he just got the big fireplace going." She explained as Kota pushed herself from the steps and stood to follow the other girl into the warmth of the lodge.

* * *

 **Charity – Washington Lodge Basement**

 **21:15**

Hawk had said even a trained monkey could get the boiler going for the hot water, yet it was now going to be Charity's third time trying to trigger it to stay on and it seemed determined to make her look like an idiot. "Seriously, Chare, just flip the switch when it is green and pull the lever, not that hard." Hawk groaned as it once again failed to properly start.

"Ever think that's what I am doing and that this fucking thing is just broken. Why didn't you and Charlie start this thing this morning when you got here?" Charity whined as the boy rolled his eyes at her. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Chare, my name isn't long so just say it."

"How about you worry less about what I call you and more about that lever?" Hawk said pulling hard of the cord once more beginning the process once more, and for the first time since they started this hopeless venture fifteen minutes ago, Charity timed it properly turning the key and pulling the lever in perfect time to hear the loud obnoxious machine roar to life.

Charity stepped away looking pleased with herself for the first time since stepping into the large lodge that night. Charlie and Hawk had already been there when Charity arrived with Kol, much to all their surprise. Kol had called her and asked her to ride up with him when no one else would, he even made it a point to make it perfectly clear she had been his last option, yet he was insistent that he would not go up to that mountain alone.

Last year, at Bash's funeral had been the last time Charity had spoken to much of the group that had been their that night aside from a few messages here or there with the offer to make plans in the future that never came to be. She stayed in contact with Kota and Mona but most everyone else had been placing themselves at a distance from her.

She had been surprised the Kol hadn't mentioned what had happened at the funeral once since their arrival at the lodge, it was very out of character for him not to use it as a way to draw attention to himself. Perhaps it had been because Jemma was already there and was a far less hostile option to annoy compared to Charity herself, but she was glad he let the past remain behind them.

"How are you holding up?" Hawk asked as he closed the cabinet that housed much of the mechanics for the boiler.

Charity found herself shrugging as she looked around the the random items that had collected themselves in the basement of the old lodge. "It was a bit hard seeing the mountain from a distance, but Bash seemed to like it here." She began as she picked up an old baseball bat. "I could definitely see him wanting to come when it was warmer though." She added as she looked at the bat with a smile, imagining the group outside playing in the warm air.

"Bash would have preferred a beach," Hawk said ruining her mental image. "But I mean you loved him, you would know that wouldn't you?" He asked as he brushed past her, up to the stairs back to the main level of the house.

Hawk had been off since she had hugged him at the door of the lodge, he hadn't returned the gesture instead he simply told her hello before continuing past her outside to work on some generator. Charlie had told her not to take it to seriously, that Hawk had been different in general since arriving at the mountain. He had been less playful, more like all of his leftover emotions about what had happened to Bash seemed to be coming around and putting him a weird place.

Charity sighed putting the bat against the wall as she followed him up the stairs to see Dakota and Mona walking into the lodge setting their bags just inside the door. Dakota had spotted her first and broke into almost a sprint to toss her arms around her friend. "Charity!" She had seen her just last week, yet she could not have been more welcoming of the hug from her best friend. Dakota had told Charity she was only coming because Charity said she was, yet Charity has a sneaking suspicion it was was more because of the mocha skinned goddess she had chose to come with than for her.

Hawk disappeared off to the upstairs of the lodge, with just a quick wave to the two girls who entered as he went up to check that the hot water was actually working in the bathrooms. "Good seeing you too Hawkley!" Mona called after him as she rolled her eyes walking over to Charity and tossing her arms around her once Dakota had let go. "Good seeing you Charity, how'd your physics final go?" She asked smiling at her in a way that made her feel like everything was normal, like the three of them were at the coffee shop working on papers and gossiping about professors and fellow students.

"No," Dakota stopped Charity from answering. "We are on break and which means classes are an off limit topic." Dakota stressed with a smile. Charity found a laugh coming as the door swung open to the lodge allowing a cold wind to come into the room.

Jemma, Kali, Kol, and Bryan entered the lodge laughing among themselves as they began to strip off their layers of protective outer clothing. "Hey guys," Mona greeting them with not only a friendly message but a wave of her hand. "What's so funny?" She asked as left Dakota standing next to Charity across the large space.

Charity ignored the answer they gave as Dakota linked her arm with hers. "Sorry about not coming up with you, the ride wasn't too awful by yourself right?" Dakota asked, Charity hadn't told anyone she was going to come up with Kol.

"No, it was peaceful actually." Charity found a smile gracing her lips completely against her will as she glance over to the boy she had actually rode with.

* * *

 **Graham – Washington Lodge**

 **20:37**

Graham could honestly admit he was surprised that no one had punched anyone else yet. So far everyone was seeming to actually enjoy themselves on this remembrance getaway. Everyone but one girl who had seemed to separate herself as soon as everyone arrived. Most everyone was either in the living room or kitchen, when Graham found the host of the evening sitting alone in the movie room off the main floor. The screen had some stupid kids movie playing as Charlie sat in the dim light. Graham walked over to the seat next to her. "Seat taken?" He asked with a smile at the slim crimson haired girl who had curled up in her chair.

"If I said it was, would you even care?" Charlie questioned looking up at him, turning away from her Disney movie. Graham found himself shaking his head as she readjusted herself to sit properly in her chair as he sat down next to her. "Everyone here?" She asked.

"Yeah, and everyone is behaving surprisingly." He admitted to her as she grabbed the remote from the chair next to her. Stopping her movie, and powering off the unit, making the screen black and the room grow almost black. Just the dim light overhead even allowing Graham to still see her vague outline. "Ready to join the fun then?" He asked.

"Can't I just sit in the dark instead?" She asked as she seemed to look for the other remote he knew worked the lights in the room. He could hear the sarcasm in her voice as she responded, like it had been before.

"As fun as sitting in the dark with you sounds, I think it would be more fun to go join the party." Graham admitted standing up as she found the remotes and brought up the lights slowly as to not kill their eyes. "Feel up for it?" He asked as he looked at her for the first time with actual light. Surprisingly her cheeks weren't stained with tears like he expected, actually she looked genuinely happy which also shocked him.

"Not really, but I doubt you'd go for my other idea." She chimed as she stood up and stretched her arms above her head, Graham hated himself as he noticed his eyes were watching as the skin on her midriff exposed itself as she stretched.

"What the hell are y'all doing in here?" Graham heard Hawk's voice chime in from the door to the small theater room. "Jemma found some cards, we were gonna play some poker if you wanted to join." He added his eyes lingering on Graham as Charlie brushed past Graham and stopped next to Hawk in the doorway. "The hot water's working now." Hawk told Charlie as she seemed to moved past him, Graham noticed there was something unspoken between the two that seemed to send a chill through him. As she left he found himself meeting eyes with the largest member of their group once more. "You coming man?" He asked as Graham nodded and followed him out of the room, watching Charlie climb the stairs once again separating herself from everyone else.

"Think she's doing okay?" Graham found himself asking his now oldest friend.

Hawk just shrugged as he walked towards the kitchen, Graham following behind him hoping she was. Hoping whatever feeling he had felt moments before was wrong.

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry this took a bit longer than I said it would, I received a couple of character trait edits and a couple of suggestions I felt like I wanted to try to include. I am just going to say I loved the feedback I got from the last part of the prologue I am glad to know I wasn't the only one hurting over the first death. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you all with another update soon.


	7. Chapter 2: Heavy

**Heavy – Nine Hours Until Dawn**

Survivors - 10

* * *

 **Kol – Washington Lodge**

 **21:57**

Kol had been surprised a simple deck of cards had managed to keep everyone so entertained for so long. Perhaps it was the fact that Graham hadn't dealt him a winning hand in three rounds or maybe he just wanted an excuse to breath away from everyone with their lingering looks on him. He knew what they all thought, pretty much all of them had made it clear at one point or another over the last year. None of them were his friends anymore, except maybe Bryan since he had been the one to hold desperately onto the group staying together after what happened.

He had excused himself to the restroom on the main level of the house to splash cold water on his face to attempt to wash away the lingering feeling his old friends looks left on his skin. He knew this weekend was a mistake, but he also knew that he could not bring himself to let down Charlie ever again.

Last year he hadn't been aware she had stopped taking her medication, he hadn't even been aware she was taking any anti-depressants. He discovered afterwards from her mother that there was a lot he hadn't known about his girlfriend at the time. She broke up with him, not that he was surprised considering she had just lost her brother, but it was something unspoken now between the two that he had wanted to ask her about this weekend. It wasn't feelings of love or any nonsense like that, but he did feel like she hated him for more than she let him believe and he wanted to use this weekend as an excuse to find out why.

This would be the perfect time in his opinion. Everyone was hurting, everyone was here to remember their dead friend. If one was planning on bringing up painful memories, why do it during a time when they are happy when moments like this weekend exist? He stared at himself in the reflection of the mirror, water still dripping on his face as he looked at his own face. His dark hair spiked up in random directions, he attempted to run a hand through it to tame it in some fashion. He grabbed the hand towel for the room and leaned back against the vanity, sighing to himself.

He almost jumped when he heard the gentle knock on the closed door. "Kol?" Charity's voice was delicate on the other side of the bathroom door. Kol quickly wiped his face with the towel before tossing the towel back on the vanity and opening the door.

Charity stood in front of him pulling her purple sleeves down further over her hands as she bit her lower lip. She had chosen a warmer outfit this year compared to last year as she stood in front of him in her purple turtle neck and thermal black pants, Kol hadn't questioned it until she stood in front of him now looking so nervous.

"Bathroom's free." He found those words coming out of his mouth before any words of merit managed to pass through his brain. He attempted to step around her only to have her block his path with her body, He was almost a foot taller than her but her small frame was still enough to stop him in his tracks. He found himself taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh as she still didn't speak but made him unable to leave his current position. "Can... I help you with something?" He asked as he looked down at her smaller frame that seemed to almost be shrinking with each second that passed.

"I did you a favor right? Coming up here with you?" She asked looking up locking her dark eyes with his.

Kol's eye brow raised in curiosity. "Yeah..." He breathed lightly as she straightened herself up standing tall almost like she suddenly gained the confidence she was lacking moments earlier.

"Good then I want to cash in my favor." She kept her brow knocked as she looked at him. "Take me to where it happened." She said crossing her arms over her chest. "Please."

"Now?" Kol asked in almost surprise, it was freezing and the middle of the night.

"Yeah. Now." Charity responded as Kol tried to think of a reason they shouldn't go that he thought she would actually listen too. Nothing came to mind except for one simple thought.

"Grab your coat."

* * *

 **Graham – Washington Lodge**

 **22:12**

Graham was surprised by the fact for the most part everyone was gently sipping any form of drink they had found in the lodge. No one seemed to keen on the idea of actually partying like rockstars like Charlie had suggested to honor Bash, instead they seemed more intent on telling stories over a friendly game of poker about stupid situations they had all found themselves in over their time together. Graham had stepped away from the table to rummage for something non-alcoholic in the fridge when Kali came to his side leaning in to see in the fridge as well.

"Can you hand me that Mountain Dew?" She asked as she pointed in front of him to the neon green can. He grabbed her the caffeinated sweet drink while grabbing a bottle of water for himself. "So, how is she doing?" Kali asked quietly as she took the can from his hand.

"Who?" Graham asked looking at Kali with a piqued interest.

"Charlie, she still talks to you from what Moe said." Kali said as she leaned against the counter top, wiping the top of her can with her sleeve as she looked over at the group laughing loudly at the table at whatever story Mona was telling in her over-exaggerated fashion.

Graham leaned against the fridge, looking at the girl who was so clearly hurting next to him. Kali and Charlie had been friends for as long as he remembered knowing Kali. The same story could be told of Jemma, who were actually Charlie's only real friends that Graham knew of. Charlie was friendly with all of Bash's friends but it was a sad truth that she had very few of her own proper friends. "Why not ask her yourself?" Graham asked looking over to the smaller girl as she stared hard at the top of the can of soda.

"She hasn't even came down here with everyone. I didn't want to risk stressing her," Kali told him, though he believed more she was telling herself her own excuse to make her feel better.

"You want me to go get her don't you?" He asked reading Kali like the open book her body language was writing.

She smiled up at him over her soda as she popped the top. "Thanks Graham." She said as she crossed back to her seat at the table leaving Graham leaning against the fridge with the sealed bottle of water still in hand. He took a deep breath as he pushed himself away from the stationary object and allowed his legs to carry him back towards the main area of the lodge. He found himself tossing the bottle between his two hands as he walked up stairs to where he had last seen Charlie heading.

He had found it odd that when Jemma questioned where Charlie was earlier Hawk had quickly answered that she had been bitching about getting into a shower since they got their. That had been probably an hour ago, and yet as Kali had reminded him Charlie had never actually came down to join the group. Instead the large group of kids, had began to dwindle even more. First Kol had stepped away, saying he was turning into a light weight and was going to the bathroom. Then Hawk, who had been staying at the edges of the group and had seemed to disappear without a word, Graham hadn't even been sure how long Hawk had been gone, when he noticed. He had only even noticed because Charity excused herself after having zoned out while Kota was talking to her. She claimed she wasn't feeling well and just needed a bit of fresh air. Graham had offered to go with her, but she insisted she would be fine.

It was as Graham reached the top of the stairs that he heard the low growling voice he knew could only belong to Hawk coming from the only door with light coming from it. "Cut the shit Charlie." His voice was deep, and seemed heavier in tone than anything Graham had heard from Hawk before.

As Graham approached the open door he saw the scene in front of him and found himself stopping to take it in. Hawk's first was clenched tightly, he seemed to be breathing heavily. Charlie was standing in front of him in a defiant pose with her arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to the side. "Who is the one who needs help again?" Charlie's voice almost sang as she looked at the larger frame in front of her without any fear.

Graham was sure he had walked into the middle of a possible fight between the two, but when he saw Hawk's muscles ripple he found his voice chiming in where he knew it wasn't welcome. "Am I interrupting something?" After the words escaped his throat he knew he was. Charlie's lips formed a crooked little smirk as Hawk seemed to lower his eyes and look away from Graham.

"I was just leaving." Hawk said in a hurry, his shoulder crashed roughly against Graham's as he made a swift exit.

Graham's hand quickly went to his shoulder as he rubbed it, the force in which their shoulders crashed, it had been enough to cause a sharp pain run through Graham's shoulder. "What was that about?" He asked as Charlie straightened up her posture and walked over to the bed in the room and sat on the edge.

"Nothing." She answered nonchalantly, even though he knew she didn't actually expect him to believe it.

"Didn't feel like nothing..." Graham said rubbing his shoulder as he walked into the room.

He tossed his water bottle onto the bed next to Charlie as he looked down on her. She had bathed while everyone else was enjoying story time in the kitchen. Her hair was still damp, she had changed clothes into a pair baggy black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt with the collar ripped out that hung loosely off her left shoulder, as her red hair cascaded over her pale exposed skin. He looked back at her eyes and noticed they didn't look as saddened as they typically did, instead a flicker of mischief seemed to be dancing in them.

"Did you come up to check on me?" Her voice partnered with his lips curled up devilishly made him look away and at the decor of the room. Butterflies and purple paint, nothing that could save him from fact he had been caught once more allowing his eyes to linger one second too long. "Graham?" Her tone was amused, making a joke of himself without intending too seemed to be a recent trend of his.

"I can't claim it was my idea." He admitted as rolled his shoulder once, before reaching out to pick up his water bottle from the bed.

Charlie's hand snatched up the sealed bottle before his could get there. He knew Charlie, she was the definition of trouble, it was probably what kept his attention on her for so long. Bash had always made it clear, his friends were to stay away from his younger sister, he always insisted that she delicate. Graham had never thought that until he saw her last year after coming up to the sounds of her screaming at the clearing. Before that moment he had always seen her as a brilliant light among their group. Her smile tended to be the brightest in the room, her laugh the most contagious. As Mona pointed out at Bash's funeral, it was those who are the saddest that smile the brightest.

Charlie pushed herself off the mattress and crossed to the door holding out the water bottle. Was this her silent way off telling him to leave through the open door? "Kali was wondering if you planned on joining us downstairs." He stated as he walked over to her, reaching out to take the bottle from her hand.

She didn't let go, she instead stepped her body into his and placed a hand on her cheek. She stood just a few inches shorter than him, she angled herself up and was on her tip toes when Graham found himself looking away from her and at the open door to their left. "Charlie." He breathed like her name was a curse.

"Tell me you don't want too," she stayed as she was as Graham looked back to her gorgeous crystal eyes. He found himself focusing on his breathing as he looked down at her, his body telling him that he most certainly did want to do this, his heart telling him that one time would be enough to decide whether those feelings he had had in the past were true, his brain telling him that this was the worst idea any cruel person had ever came up with.

Her face hovered just below his, his hand locked around the water bottle with hers, the open door to their left.

* * *

 **Jemma – Washington Lodge**

 **22:27**

Jemma's eyes had rested on Kali for the last ten minutes as the other girl mindless tapped her fingers on the table staring at the doorway like she was waiting for a celestial being to walk through and grace them all with eternal life. Jemma knew the other girl was waiting for Charlie and Graham to come through the doorway and for the two girls to finally have the reunion moment Kali had expected for this weekend. Jemma just didn't have the heart to tell Kali that her imagination was probably going to provide her a much happier reunion than their friend. When Jemma had arrived at the lodge with Graham, Charlie was sitting in the kitchen, staring out the large window completely unaware of the two who had just arrived. When Charlie had noticed their presence, because Graham had greeted her she threw on a large smile and hugged Jemma and Graham quickly before Hawk swooped in and asked for their help setting up different things around the lodge.

After that quick meeting Jemma hadn't seen Charlie again aside from stopping her before heading down to town to ask if she needed anything. Again she was greeted with a large smile, a polite decline to her request, and being handed the key to the cable car.

Jemma knew something was off, but with the anniversary being the next day she knew there would be no attempting to help the girl cope with whatever demons were currently occupying her head-space. Kali had sent Graham which was probably the worst choice of person in the room to send to fetch her aside from possibly Hawk who had also been behaving oddly since their arrival at the lodge. Graham was obsessed with Charlie whether he would ever admit it or not. If you looked through his photos of the group together, more often than not Charlie would be somewhere in each of them. She also knew the idea of sending Graham only came about from Mona pointing out the fact that Charlie only seemed to talk to Graham and Hawk since the fall semester had started.

Mona seemed to be unaware of the tinge of red that came to Graham's cheeks that quickly faded or the fact that her passing comment seemed to make Hawk disappear from the collective but Jemma tended to notice things that others didn't.

The room had mostly went quiet aside from the tapping coming from Kali's fingertips when Bryan spoke up. "Anyone want to go explore with me?" He asked looking to Kali, who seemed to just stare past him at the doorway.

"Explore?" Kota question as her head tilted to the side slightly.

"You guys remember that door in the basement? I just I want to know whats on the other side, why not check now. Since there isn't really much else to do until morning." Bryan explained rubbing the back of his head nervously, with all of the girls eyes resting on him now being only boy left in the room.

"You have fun with that, and if you still can't get it open call up, okay?" Mona replied with a wink that made Bryan make a slightly soured face.

He was pushing himself away from the table and standing up as Jemma stood with him. It clearly surprised him as his face lit up at the thought of having company. "Seriously Jem?" Bryan's excited tone amused her much more than it should.

"Better than sitting here I guess." Jemma responded as she looked to Kali. "You coming?" She asked as her friend fell out of her self-induced trance.

Kali bit her lip for a moment as she debated an answer, before also getting up from the table leaving just Kota and Mona at the table. "You guys want to come?" Kali asked the two as Kota shook her head.

"Cold dank basement, count me out." Kota insisted as for a moment Mona looked like she would actually join them until Kota added, "and think of the spiders. Yeah definite no."

Mona had began to get up as she quickly found herself back firmly in her seat. "Spiders, yeah count me out. You guys have fun though."

"Your loss." Bryan stated leading the way out of the kitchen, Kali and Jemma fast on his trail as he made his way into the basement, reaching into his pocket and producing a small torch that he clicked on even though there was a light source at the top of the stairs. He lead the way and Jemma took up the rear as Kali fell into the middle, looking like she was curious about every crack in the walls. Bryan stepped around the broken step with no issue, remembering it being there after the year, however when he paused to warn Kali and Jemma he found himself reaching out to catch the first with little to no warning as she slipped and went to fall face forward.

She squeaked in shock as Jemma found herself frozen behind them on the step. Kali quickly spitting out every form of apology she could come up with as Bryan awkwardly allowed her to bring herself to balance and pull his hands away trying to think of anyway to tell her not to worry about it. Jemma realized she had made herself a third wheel in their excursion. She had known that Kali and Bryan were both awkward when it came to their feelings but never noticed how the two seemed to fit together.

"Thanks for the warning Carmine." Jemma said stepping around the two on the other side of the steps and continued down without them leaving them both to their hot cheeks. As Kali quickly caught up to Jemma at the bottom of the stairs, Bryan cleared his throat as he met the two waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him, before leading the way through the main area of the basement around the loud boiler and into what remained of an old wine cellar, though one of the cabinets was smashed on the floor, the wine dry and stained on the concrete. Bryan stepped onto it with one foot, testing his weight before stepping over it and holding his hand out to help both girls over. Kali went first as she kept her head down and Bryan made sure to focus solely on getting her over the old cabinet that already had one large hole through the broken timbers on the back from where it looked like someone had smashed their foot through. Next Jemma took hold of Bryan's hand before quickly jumping over it and reaching the door that looked as if it had been smashed through at some point.

As she past through the room she took a moment to look back at the frame of the door that hung loosely on its hinges and saw the lock portion that had been attached to the wall to lock it into place was hanging from the door now. "Wow you guys really wanted to get through here last year huh?" Jemma asked as Bryan shined his light further ahead.

"No it was already like that when we got here," he stated before his light landed on a door across the storage room. "That's the one we couldn't get open. Jammed or something," he spoke as he walked over to it. As he reached the door he turned and handed the torch to Kali. "Hold this would you," he said as she took it and began to look around the room. "Kali, the door." He insisted as she realized what she was doing.

"Oh sorry," she mumbled as Jemma reached her side, reaching out to hold Kali's hand. No one was a fan of dark, creepy places.

Bryan rammed his shoulder hard into the door once, and he simply seem to bounce back from it though Jemma did hear a cracking sound as he did. He readjusted his grip on the door knob and did it once more, and went tumbling through the door as it opened. "Fuck." He let out loudly as he disappeared into the darkness beyond the door way and quickly Kali and Jemma stepped forward and cast the light down through the doorway to see Bryan on his hands and knees about a foot or two down from their current position in what looked like old ruins of a corridor. It was narrow, like a hall way in a house, but unlike the rest of the lodge it looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. The air the came through the door way was much colder than the rest of the basement and sent a chill down Jemma's spine.

"Are you okay?" Kali asked as she shined the light onto him as he began to stand up and brush himself off.

"Yeah, toss me the light." He insisted as he came back towards them, catching the torch that Kali tossed lightly. He used it to shine down on his jeans that now had a small rip along the knee and then in front of them.

Kali and Jemma watched silently for a moment as he looked around in the direct area in front of him. "Come on, we should head back upstairs." Jemma found herself saying. Something about this place felt off.

"What? Why? Lets take a look around." Bryan insisted as he walked back towards the girls, he looked up at them as Jemma found herself looking at Kali for the decision.

"Our coats are upstairs, we can come back down after..." Jemma started to say.

"Suit yourselves, catch up later." Bryan answered simply as he began to walk away.

"Wait!" Kali chimed causing him to stop and turn the torch's bright beam back on the girls. Kali looked to Jemma with a weak smile, "it's best to stay together." She made a point, but Jemma thought she had also made a point. Bryan had on think denim jeans, boots, and who knew how many layers under his thick flannel shirt, Kali also had her beat with her black jeans and green flannel shirt with her matching dark green beanie. Jemma just had on an over-sized lavender shirt with a pair of high-waisted jeans. The cold air coming from this hallway of decay was going to just get colder.

"Come on Jem, I thought you said you wanted to explore." Bryan insisted as Kali sat down on the edge of the opening pushing herself over to land on her feet beneath them.

Jemma took a deep breath as she debated her choices. "Fine but if I catch my death of cold down here I am blaming you Carmine." She said as followed the others down into the decaying hallway.

* * *

 **Mona – Washington Lodge**

 **22:32**

Mona had watched Dakota busy herself around the Lodge's kitchen for five minutes after everyone else had left. Dakota seemed to instantly jump out of her seat and keep her distance the second Mona had pointed out they were alone. Mona thought she had been reading the signs from Dakota correctly, but her sudden distance seemed to tell her otherwise. Dakota stood in front of the sink washing the cups the others had left abandoned. Mona watched her reflection in the glass window that lead out to a covered back porch of the lodge.

Mona noticed the movement through the window that drew her out of her chair. She could have swore she saw someone out beyond the lodge, in the woods. She drew closer to the window and attempted to find the figure she had seen a moment earlier, yet all she could focus on was the snow blowing under the covering at the window. Mona felt something in her gut that told her something was off. She turned quickly on her heels and headed towards the front door.

It must of have been Mona heading through the large doorway back towards the front door that drew Dakota's attention back to her and away from the dishes. "Moe? What are you doing?" Kota asked from the kitchen's door way as Mona reached the entry and her brown wool lined leather coat pulling it from the hook she had hung it on.

"Someone's outside." Mona stated quickly as she also grabbed Dakota's light blue fur lined parka walking back towards the girl who stood there, looking beyond confused.

"What?" Dakota insisted as Mona came back towards her, shoving her coat towards her.

Kota caught the coat as Mona walked past her back into the kitchen pulling her own coat onto her shoulder quickly. "Someone is outside, and I will be damned if I am going to let them pull some stupid prank on us." Mona insisted as she walked over to the counter and began pulling out random drawers looking for a torch. "Where the hell is a flashlight when you need one?" She complained quietly as Dakota put her coat on the counter and walked over to the other girl as she finally pulled out a drawer that held a torch.

"Someone is outside and you want to go after them?" Dakota put her body in front of Mona stopping her from crossing to the door outside of the kitchen that went to the covered porch.

Mona cocked her hip as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Scare them before they can scare us? Hell yes." Mona insisted, "It's probably Kol or Hawk you saw the way they both just kind of snuck off earlier." She said as she brushed by Dakota who rolled her eyes.

She found herself barreling out the door and going to the edge of the covered porch. "Come out! We see you assholes!" Mona barked out into the darkness as she heard Dakota come out and join her on the porch. She turned around to see Dakota pulling on her coat in front of the closed door to the lodge.

Dakota walked over to where Mona was standing, "I don't see anyone Moe." She seemed almost annoyed by Mona's brash response but Mona knew two things about Dakota. One she hated the cold and she hated people jumping out trying to scare her. She was trying to prevent the latter since she could do nothing about nature.

"I swear they are down there, they are probably just hiding. Hold on," Mona insisted as she walked over to the stairs. Dakota started to follow her as Mona stopped her. "Wait here, I will take care of them." She said grabbing and squeezing the other girls hand tightly with a sincere smile. She swore she saw that same red blush dance over Dakota's cheeks that she had seen earlier.

Mona walked over to the stairs and found herself quickly jumping down them as she got to the snow covered ground and clicked on the torch. She shined it around the ground, and out towards the woods. Not seeing much of anything now. Maybe she had just imagined the movement. She stepped out closer to the woods when she saw them. Boot prints. Not one, but two.

Fucking bastards were hiding. "Fuck you guys! Come out already!" Mona yelled back into the woods.

"Moe! Come on, its cold!" Dakota called down from the porch above her head. Mona looked up and flashed the light up seeing something out of the corner of her eye that made her blink quickly. It had to be the snow whipping around the lower side of the porch.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Moe found her voice growing quieter as she walked up to the stairs and climbed them to see Dakota struggling at the door to the lodge. Dakota kicked at the door, and Mona suddenly found the biggest flaw in her plan. She hadn't checked to see if the door would stay unlocked behind them, so when Dakota pulled it shut, it probably had locked. "Come on, lets try the front, this one probably jammed or something." Mona said shining the light on Kota's face that looked beyond aggravated by their current situation.

"Did I mention I didn't like this place yet?" She stressed as Mona took the lead back down the stairs and around to the front of the lodge. Kota following closing behind in her footsteps. She had been so worried about stopping anyone from scaring the other girl she had managed to make the situation worse for both of them. Mona approached the front, knowing Kota's anger was growing silently behind her with every passing minute they were left out in the cold. Mona ran up the front porch steps quickly and pulled at the lodge door.

"It's locked isn't it?" Kota's tone told Mona everything she needed to know about their current situation.

"Lets head down to the cable car station, I think there was a phone down there." Mona said as she leaned her back against the door.

Dakota rolled her eyes at Mona who admitted she probably deserved every ounce of sass coming from Dakota. Dakota walked in front of Mona on the path for a bit, Mona's light leading as the approached the old wooden building that housed the controls for the cable car. It was then they heard the loud echo of an undeniable sound.

A gunshot echoed through the air around them. Mona wasn't sure where it had come from but it was distant. Who on the mountain would have a gun, she found herself wondering as she looked behind them towards the lodge. "Moe!" Dakota barked as she pulled open the door the station and rushed inside. Mona came running up and pulled the door closed behind her. "Was that?!" She asked quickly as Mona climbed the stairs into the actual control room of the cable car.

Mona was shocked to see what she saw. The room was trashed, the control panel had an ax sticking out of it, and the key completely gone. "What the fuck?" Mona found the words falling from her mouth as she looked around the room. The maps that had been up on the walls were now torn down, and furniture was pushed over and toppled around the room. Dakota walked into the control room silently, picking up a piece of a poster that had once been on the wall showing the beautiful Blackwood Mountains.

"Who did this?" Kota asked as she let the piece of paper fall back to the ground.

"I don't know, but I don't think we should stay here long." Mona said as she reached down and picked up a piece of paper she hadn't seen on the wall, but now lay across the ground. It was a missing poster with a girl with short brown hair, her name was Beth Washington.

"Moe..." Kota said as she approached Mona's side, she was reading the same missing poster that Mona was. "Do you think they are the Washington's like the ones who sold that lodge to Charlie's parents..." Her voice was weak as Mona folded the paper and stuck it in her back pocket.

"I'm not sure, but I think we should definitely get out of here." Mona said as she handed Kota the flashlight and went to pulling the ax out of the control console. Shaking it loose of the large metal box it was dug into. "Come on..." Mona insisted as the two made their way back out into the cold of the mountain now armed as they attempted to get back into the lodge.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well guys, this is the end of chapter two. We have basically everyone separated. Which is probably the farthest thing from good. Anyways, I love the feedback, and hope you enjoy this chapter. Sadly I did cut some things from this chapter to put them in the next because just because the chapter title is Heavy I felt the things that were cut made this chapter too heavy. I look forward to presenting Chapter Three: Separation to you all soon.


	8. Chapter 3: Separation

**Separation – Eight Hours Until Dawn**

Survivors – 10

* * *

 **Charity – Blackwood Mountain**

 **22:46**

Kol had done exactly what she had asked him to do, she had brought him to the spot that Bash had fallen at. Or at least he said it was the spot, and Charity had no reason to suggest he was lying about it. The trees had thinned out, the path had lead them straight there. There was a picnic table to the side, where Kol had found himself sitting at as she stood back just far enough that she couldn't see over the edge of the mountain. He had let her stand there in silence for over half an hour, as she just thought about what it had been like in that moment.

How Bash had felt. How Charlie had felt. Even how Kol had felt. Watching it all, feeling it all. How horrible it must have been, while she sat safe and warm in a lodge waiting for them to all come back.

"I hated you and her, for months." Charity said finally finding her voice lost in all of her thoughts. She knew Kol was only there because of some dedication to the Young family that she would probably never understand. "I told her, I never blamed her, and I took all of my anger out on you, but I hate you both." Charity continued on, speaking out to the cliff, knowing Kol was listening. "Then I started hating myself more than both of you... I could have told him just to wait for the police to show up. I could have told him not to leave or to take me with him. I could have been here and told him to stay away from the edge."

"He wouldn't have listened. He was going to go find his sister, and even if you were here... I think it would have ended the same." She heard Kol's melodic voice in her ears as she felt the warmth of fresh tears coming down her face, crashing straight into her scarf.

"You don't know that..." Her words came out in a squeak as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I do though. Charity, there is a lot about that night you don't understand, that no one seems to understand or believe." Kol insisted, as she finally found herself able to draw her eyes away from the ledge where it had all taken place. Where all of their friendships seemed to die.

She dug her hands deep into her coat pocket as she saw Kol sitting on the picnic bench, digging a small hole in the snow with the tip of his boot. He had pulled on a beanie over his head, but he looked cold even in his coat. She walked over to his side and sat down next to him, keeping a fair amount of distance between the two on the bench they sat on. "No one ever told me what actually happened." She said looking to Kol who was intent on staring at the patch of muddy earth he had dug up with his shoe.

"He fell." Kol stated plainly. "One second he was there, and the next he wasn't." His nonchalant tone sent a fire burning through her that she had to ignore in order to find any way to continue speaking to the boy by her side.

"Bash wasn't that careless." She reminded him as he finally looked up at her.

"I know, but like I said one minute he was standing there, two feet firmly planted about a foot away from the edge... the next he was gone. How else does one explain that?" Kol's eyes looked had a fire burning behind them. "I told the cops that and they told me I must have blinked... They thought Bash could go from here to dead in a fucking blink." Kol stressed as he looked to the Charity. She could tell by the way he spoke, this was something that he had often found himself doting on. "You all might have hated me, but at least one of you should have listened."

* * *

 **Hawk – Blackwood Mountain**

 **22:48**

Hawk held tightly onto the half empty bottle of whiskey he had grabbed on his way out of the lodge earlier. It was half empty when he found it, but with each small swig he felt the cold air becoming less of an annoyance. He knew drinking would be the last thing he should be doing. Especially after his fit of rage earlier. He had decided to go check on Charlie, to remind her of their arrangement, yet the little bitch decided she was going to play dumb.

Hawk had always thought of Charlie as a pain in the ass, but now he thought of her as the girl who lead to the death of his best friend, and pseudo-brother. "Crazy little bitch." He found himself muttering beneath his breath as he walked through the trees.

When he had first left the lodge he was intent on just leaving all together. Abandoning his plan, and saying fuck all of the supposed friends gathered on the mountain, but when he arrived at the cable car station and saw it in shambles he thought it a sign from Bash that he was on the right path, with or without the other Young's help. Inside the small room two of the walls appeared almost charred, the fire extinguisher lay used on the floor. A large fireman's ax gutted out from in cable car control console and left it sparking gently. The window facing the cable car remained in one piece, while the small window on the wall that faced out towards the path to the lodge was shattered. The only thing he had done was pull the keys out of the destroyed console. The room had already been ransacked, the controls destroyed, what was the point of leaving it powered on with a key, but now as he attempted to pass the time he wished he had just gone and figured out who destroyed the fucking station.

Hawk brought the bottle to his lips once more as he stumbled across them. Kol and Charity, sitting at a picnic table near a clearing by the edge of the mountain, not just any cliff side, the cliff where it all ended.

Hawk dropped the bottle letting it crash into the snow as he reached behind his back. Feeling the cold metal he had tucked behind his coat, into his waistline. He pulled the black metal handgun from his waistline, he had brought it to finish what had been started earlier in the year, but now with Kol the lying asshole sitting like a deer in a hunter's scope. He felt something taking over his body.

He had been a hunter for most of his life, yet as he took aim he let either the cold or the whiskey coursing through his veins waver his shot as it echoed through the air. Kol and Charity instantly sprang to attention as Kol stood up and quickly pulled on Charity's hand to pull her off the bench. They hadn't seen Hawk, or where the shot had come from that hit a tree somewhere behind them. Kol barked that they should run, as Hawk paused watching the two scramble like ants when you pour water into their hills. It actually brought a smile to Hawk's face as he watched the little bastard scramble.

He found his finger dancing nervously over the trigger once more as his arm remained extended. He fired once more and heard a pained scream, that scream sent a thrilled shiver down his spine, it wasn't his target's.

* * *

 **Bryan – Blackwood Pines Hotel**

 **22:57**

Bryan hated to admit that Jemma had been right before they embarked down the hallway that lead them into this horror movie setting. Jemma kept her arms wrapped tightly around her body, while Kali had pulled out her phone using the flashlight application built into it to explore the dilapidated structure. So far they had explored what looked like a lobby of a hotel, that Jemma had found a ledger of a guests who had occupied the structure in the mid 1920s, at the top of the ledger in beautiful calligraphy was the words "Blackwood Pines Hotel".

"Think the Young's know this is down here?" Kali asked as she righted a chair that was on its side in the lobby.

"Probably not, I mean they just bought the lodge right?" Bryan asked as he shined his torch through the holes in the wall seeing the hollow darkness behind it.

Jemma was clearly getting frustrated by the fact they were still wandering around the horror movie set that they had found. "Its all kind of fucked up if you ask me." She mumbled coming out from behind the front desk, and wiping her hands on her black pants, trying to the grime and dust from her hands. "Their son died here, you'd think they never want to see this fucking mountain again."

"I think they did it because they didn't want anyone else to lose someone here too." Kali explained as she walked from around a half wall that separated the lobby from what looked like might have been a small dining room or restaurant. "Plus Charlie seemed pretty attached to this place after everything that happened. I mean even at the funeral she was looking up new articles about what happened here." She said as she seemed to investigate the area.

Bryan had never known that, Charlie hadn't spoken to him since that weekend. Even at the funeral she didn't say anything directly to him, just around him. She had rattled off the classic line of how she would manage and be okay, but she hadn't actually appeared to be believing in any of her words.

"It's freezing down here, can we please go back and check this horror show out tomorrow?" Jemma whined quietly as she seemed to try to wrap her arms around herself tighter. Bryan without thought shrugged his arms out of his jacket and walked over to drape it around the slender form of the girl. Who normally would have protested the gesture, claiming she needed no help from anyone instead she just smiled at him in thanks.

Jemma had always been in enigma to Bryan, a creature that he could never understand. One minute she seemed like she was the most confident woman in the world, the next it seemed like she question every truth she knew about herself. Bryan looked around her, down towards another set of stairs. "Why don't you both head back," Bryan offered before looking back to Jemma. "I'm just going to see how much further this place goes, then I will meet you guys back at the lodge and you and Mona can keep kicking my ass at poker." Jemma's face lit up at the idea, however when Bryan looked over to Kali who was crossing back over to the pair holding an old news paper her face told him she was not going along with the idea.

"I think this might have been a set..." She mentioned handing Jemma the newspaper, it showcased an article about an ex-janitor being accused of arson in the area. "That is part of a bundle of newspapers, that were shipped here, but the shipment date and the date on the papers are way different." Kali had this gleam in her eyes that Bryan hadn't seen in her before, she was actually enjoying their time down in the creepy old hotel compared to her counterpart Jemma.

"So..?" Jemma started as she read over the front page realizing what Kali was saying was the truth as the other articles featured headlines and then random words that didn't even form proper sentences let alone a proper article. "You think the last owners used this place as a movie set?" Jemma said looking around. "I knew this place felt like a horror film waiting to happen." She said handing her back the article and pulling Bryan's coat tighter around her body.

"Can I go with you?" Kali asked looking to Bryan who found himself continuing to look past Jemma to the flight of stairs leading out of the lobby. "Bryan?" Kali questioned snapping him back into his conversation with the girls.

"What?" Bryan asked not even being fully aware of what he had missed.

Jemma looked distraught, Kali still had that gleam in her eyes, but it was only Jemma's words that clued Bryan back into what was going on. "Kali, you can't be serious? You hate places like this, lets just go back to the lodge." Jemma was insisting.

"Jem, Bryan shouldn't go into the creepy dark place by himself and its not the far back to lodge. Plus it's a straight shot." Kali began explaining she Jemma quickly reacted the way Bryan imagined she would.

She quickly shrugged back off Bryan's coat, shoving it into his chest as she turned on her heeled boots and began to head back to lodge. "Do what you want then." Jemma probably felt betrayed that Kali didn't want to follow with her plan. Kali had always been the follower in the group. Charlie or Jemma the instigators while Kali their usually unwilling accomplice.

"Jem!" Kali called after the other girl as she stormed away back down the hall towards the lodge.

Bryan watched Kali sigh and play with her braided hair for a moment, biting on her lip deciding if she should chase after the girl of not. "Let her go," the words drawing her attention to him as he held out her jacket to her. "She will be making hot chocolate by the time we get back telling us how we inhaled enough black mold down here to kill us." He insisted as Kali walked back over to him, taking his coat from his hands and putting her arms through it. It swallowed her, but he saw she was thankful for the warmth it provided. He nodded his head in the direction of the stairs as she shined her light over to them.

Bryan had always heard curiosity killed the cat. But he also heard it said, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. Knowing what was down here was all the satisfaction he needed.

* * *

 **Graham – Washington Lodge**

 **23:03**

Graham knew he had signed his soul to the devil the second he touched her soft lips. He knew the moment he pushed that door closed before entrapping her body between the solid wood and his own body he had locked himself into her madness. He knew the moment they began to peel away clothing, their would be nothing left for her to hide behind. He knew all these things, but seeing her sitting at the foot of the bed curled in on herself with her knees to her chest in her bra and underwear was something he knew he had no idea how to deal with. Charlie had been the one who initiated everything thus far, the flirty remarks, the brushing contact, even the kiss, yet there she was falling apart in front of him while he reclined on the bed unsure of what to say or even do to make it less awkward.

They hadn't even really done anything. She had kissed him, he had returned the gesture. It got a bit heated as he closed the door and she pulled his collar causing them to stumble into said door. She pulled his body closer to hers as he ran his hands along he sides. He had pulled her legs up around his waist as he walked her over the bed. She had pulled off his shirt before working on her own. She had shimmied herself out of her sweats as they maneuvered awkwardly on the bed, laughing at one another. It had been amazing, until something in her appeared to snap.

Suddenly she pulled herself away and moved as far away as she could on the bed, her eyes that had once been filled with mischief and desire now was empty wastelands. He couldn't read what she was thinking as she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out into the room, pretending as if he wasn't there. He had spoken her name lightly, he had even tried to gently touch her arm yet she just moved further away, and said nothing to him.

Graham knew better, he thought as he pulled himself up on the bed and sat facing the opposite way as Charlie. She was broken, understandably but still she was broken. "Charlie..." He breathed, and to his surprise her voice cut him off.

"You should probably leave, the others will wonder where you are."

The others, of course Charlotte Young was more worried about appearances than talking about what had happened between them. Nothing new there, Sebastian had been the same way. Even after last year Charlie and her parents were more worried about showing a strong united front in the face of Bash's death than caring for the daughter's mental problems or even allowing a full investigation into what happened.

Graham had remembered how Kol insisted at the police station that no one understood what he was saying when he spoke to the police. That the police and the Young's had told him their was no body at the base of the cliff, and he had insisted that one minute Bash was standing there, the next second he was gone. No sound had came from Bash, the only noise had been the loud scream as Charlie watched her brother fall. Kol had made it clear, the moment Bash fell he had been looking at Charlie, worrying for his girlfriend which was understandable but it had never sat right with Graham.

Especially not after he went through the photos of that weekend to give on to the Young's for Bash's funeral arrangement. In the background on one of the shots he swore he saw eyes, and a figure. He had shown it to Mona who just told him he was seeing things in the snow, or that maybe his lenses were dirty. He tried showing it to Hawk who told him not to chase ghosts, it wouldn't bring Bash back. Kol had been the only one to even admit that he might have seen a figure in the photograph as well but he also made it perfectly clear that if it was something, it wasn't a person.

Graham pushed himself off the bed as he walked around to the side of the bed Charlie was staring out over to pick up his t-shirt from the floor. He bit the inside of his mouth as he pulled it over his head and looked around for his hoodie. He knew he should be irritated with her decision to stop, hell he should have stopped it before it had even started, yet he felt frustration with the entire situation.

He grabbed his gray hoodie with much more of a snatching quality than he intended as he felt her eyes following his every move in front of her. "Are we really not going to even talk about this?" He asked looking into her eyes that looked vacant of emotion like the automaton she had been after Bash's death last year.

"There is nothing to talk about." Charlie closed her eyes only to open them again with that same vacant stare occupying her reflective pools. Graham pulled his hoodie over his head before he left the room pulling the door closed behind him and shoving his hands that had balled themselves into fists in his pockets. He turned to head to the room he was sharing with Hawk for the weekend. It was just down the hall from Charlie's room, but he felt like a child as he walked in slamming the door roughly behind him.

He couldn't place if he was frustrated more with Charlie or himself. He had spent years knowing her, knowing she was off limits, ignoring all of her previous flirtatious moments with him and writing them off as a lost cause. Then after Bash's accident she had lost contact with everyone from what he had known, then when he called her up before what would have been Bash's birthday and asked if she wanted to join him and Charity for dinner to remember Bash she hung up on him. Then Hawk had told them what she did on his birthday instead of eating dinner with them. She had slit her wrists, it was only by chance that Hawk had went by to pick something up from the pool house at the Young's estate. She had asked if he wanted to come inside, he had hung around apparently watching a movie with her when she excused herself to the bathroom, then when she didn't come back he checked on her.

Hawk had been there when Graham had no idea what was happening. Proving once again that Hawk was closer to the Young's than he would ever be. Graham tossed himself on his bed, covering his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie as he laid there. Mulling over all the reasons why he had fucked up once again.

He would never be what she needed and he knew he should have moved on, yet every time he saw her eyes he felt the same he always had when it came to Charlie. He rolled over and reached for his backpack that was beside the night strand by his bed In the front most pocket he felt the cord connected to the small charm. The charm was a gibu auju, it was an old viking symbol he had been told meant good luck or fortune. He had gotten it at the tattoo parlor when he got his latest piece of body art, a small ghost with an emoji styled face on his ankle, that Mona had made from of him for when he got it. The artist said he always wore the same symbol, that he even had it placed on his body as a sign of protection, not that the large burly tattoo artist had much to be afraid of but Graham found himself buying the small metal symbol on the black cord and holding onto it. First he tried wearing it for a while, before realizing he wasn't much for wearing necklaces. Then he tried keeping in it in just pocket attached to his keys. One to many jabs in the leg later, it found a permanent home in his backpack.

He had bought it for her. He was going to give it to her, a symbol to comfort her when she felt most lost, but he hadn't been the one there when she needed someone. He had decided maybe this weekend would be a good time, since everyone would be together, moving past their loss as a group but after his student impulsive decision to fall for one of Charlie's whims their would be no way he could give it to her now.

His grip tightened around the charm as he thought more about the girl he had planned to give it to, and in his fit of frustration he threw it towards Hawk's side of the room, it landing somewhere on the floor on the other side of his bed he was sure. Graham continued to lay in his bed for what felt like hours that he knew was probably only minutes. He was surprised during that time of the silence within the lodge, had everyone else gone to bed already? That couldn't be the case because Hawk was no in his bed, though knowing Hawk he could end up sleeping just about anywhere and not bat an eye about it. Graham looked to Hawk's bed and let out a sigh, knowing that if Hawk did decide to come to the room they were sharing stepping on a metal symbol with pointy edges would probably not lead to anyone being happy about the situation Graham pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the other side of Hawk's bed. He pulled out his phone to use the flashlight as he knelt down looking around the floor, before finally spotting the black cord partially under Hawk's bed, as he looked down to pull out the pendant he saw a large army style duffle bag that he had never seen Hawk carry before. Hawk had left his bags on his bed, why was there one shoved underneath. Had it been left here since last year? This was to be Kol's and Bryan's room, right? Graham reached under and pulled the bag out, peering into the partially opened top to see the sleek black muzzle of a rifle.

"What the fuck?" Graham found himself breathing out as he pulled the bag the rest of the way out, inside he saw a rifle and more bullets than he cared to count, he saw tape and cord. It was like an hunting bag, but who in their group of friends would have decided to go hunting last year. He knew Bryan hunted but it was more just an excuse to hang out with his brothers and drink beer in the back of a truck wearing camo than actually hunting.

Graham was deciding if he should stuff the bag back under the bed or not when he heard a scream from downstairs in the lodge. Graham quickly jumped to his feet, pocketing the pendant and phone in his hand and ran over to the staircase, taking each step as quickly as he could and rounding the corner almost tripping as he did so trying to run to the main level to investigate. The only light coming from the kitchen he believed the source had to be through the open doors there, but when he passed through he wasn't expecting to see Charlie's body lying limp on the floor nor did he expect the sharp pain that radiated from the back of his head as the world turned black.

"You weren't suppose to be here, hero."

* * *

 **Kota – Blackwood Mountain**

 **23:15**

Kota was beyond stressed out, and if Mona said the words, "it'll be alright" one more time she was sure she would scream. First they had been locked out of the lodge in the cold after Mona insisted she saw someone outside, second they had came down to the cable car station to find it absolutely destroyed, third they heard a gun shot from who knows where on a mountain that supposedly was only occupied by their friends, and now finally they were wandering around lost in the trees.

"Moe, please lets just try to go back to the lodge." Kota said wrapping her arms tighter around herself, taking a moment to rub the sleeves of her sweater to create friction to warm her arms. "Someone had to have noticed we are missing and they will have unlocked the door." Kota trying to be the voice of reason while in her current emotional state was nothing more than a lost cause as Mona continued a head of her.

Mona was white knuckling the ax she had pulled out of the control panel as she tried to stay strong for Kota, which Kota understood but Moe's stubbornness to stick to her "plan" was getting old. "Lets just head up and see, okay?" Moe seemed to probably be as troubled as Kota about all of what was happening.

Kota followed behind Mona, she glanced down at the phone in her hand and clicked the home button illuminating the screen. Still it read no service, as she tapped the locking button on the side before pulling it back to her chest. She understood what Mona was trying to do, get high enough and maybe they would catch some kind of cell phone signal, but with the lack of towers in this area, Kota just couldn't see this plan working out.

Suddenly Kota felt Mona grab her arm and pull her behind a tree, "what the..." Kota began as Mona released her arm and placed her hand over her mouth cutting off her words as she ax hung down by their sides. Mona nodded in the direction of the path and Kota pulled Mona's hand away as she peered around the tree. There on the path were two large male figures, they were carrying torches lighting the path, the one was also carrying a large back pack. Kota couldn't believe how long it took her to notice what else the figures were toting, both were carrying large guns, like rifles or maybe a shot gun. "Moe..."

"Sh..." Mona insisted as they watched the men continue on the actual path heading past the lodge and continuing up the mountain.

They stood there in silence perhaps longer than was really necessary as they watched the men disappear. Kota was thankful for how close Mona was standing, and how Mona hadn't pulled her hand out of Kota's after Kota had pulled her palm away from her mouth. She seemed to just allow Kota to squeeze her hand and steal her body warmth as they saw the men who were probably behind the gun shots earlier.

"We should go." Mona insisted as she looked behind them back into the trees.

"We need to go warn the others that there are men hunting out here. Its private property we can call the police." Kota reasoned as she saw Mona begin to move back to heading away from the lodge.

"How do you plan on getting in? Its fucking locked!" Mona barked much to Kota's surprise. Kota found herself biting her lip as she squeezed her phone in her fist. "Sorry, it just we should try to get your phone to work."

"I'm going back to the lodge... You're choice if you want to follow me." Kota didn't want to argue anymore, she didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to be home, in her warm bed, not stuck arguing on a mountain with a scared woman holding an ax.

* * *

Author's Notes: Not even gonna lie, three parts of this were initially included in the last chapter but I felt it made the last chapter to heavy *note the chapter title of chapter 2, and notice I cut things to make it less heavy because as the writer I do things that make no sense sometimes* Which means this chapter turned into a super long piece and Chapter 4 is where I actually have to change the content rating to M. Like this one had small moments, but nothing like the next chapter so starting effectively the mature content has begun.

Sorry this chapter took so long, I was working pretty much constantly and haven't had time. I am about to go on vacation so expect a bit more activity then.

Anyways~ See you guys next time in Chapter 4 – Peril


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